Family Reunion
by hearthandhomeauthor
Summary: After months of careful deliberation, Katheryn is finally set to meet the family of the man she has fallen in love with over the past year. Meanwhile, Ranger Hunt must team up with an old arch-rival to help Amy Ochoa when a rival gang begins to threaten her and Leon. Little do they know that each relationship will be tested to its limits. / Legacy of Thunder series (no. 19)
1. Part 1

_**.**_

 _ **About two weeks have passed since the events of the last story of the Legacy series. This story is one I've been planning for quite a while and felt now was the right time for it to be written. My immense love for Carlos' family can no longer go unnoticed. For the first time in WTR history, all of his family that we were introduced to in various episodes are together in one story. Also, we will be introduced to a few new faces in the Sandoval family.**_

 _ **Like the previous tale, this story is still set in the approximately two-month time frame in between "Moment of Truth" and "Fighting Back" per the SOT world and during the period of time when Walker, Alex, Gage, Sydney, and even Trivette were out of town in "Tall Cotton." By the end of this story, we will have entered the events of "The Lynn Sisters."**_ _ **Thanks again for reading and reviewing! Enjoy :)**_

* * *

 **FAMILY REUNION**

 **Chapter One**

* * *

Katheryn let herself enjoy about five extra minutes of relaxation by White Rock Lake, enjoying the piercing pink sunset hues glistening over the waters until she finally resolved it was time to leave. She glanced at her watch wide-eyed to the realization that it was already a quarter passed five. And she was supposed to be ready for Carlos to pick her up at her apartment at six. She then shifted into scramble mode, throwing her belongings gently into her backpack and slinging it onto her shoulder before racing calmly across the grass water's edge to the parking lot just beyond a sheltered grove of trees. In seconds, she was cruising on the roads of inner Dallas in route for home and the flurry of activity she imagined was to follow.

Both Carlos and she had been waiting for the right moment to plan for his family to meet Katheryn. But no time seemed to come up as appropriate until Carlos' sister Teresa had told him there was to be a family reunion of sorts in several weeks. Immediately, Carlos set aside his menial fears and asked Katheryn if she would like to take the trip to Austin with him for his family reunion. She quickly consented, eager to meet some of the family Carlos had only told her about. Yet she had quickly developed a nervousness about the whole ordeal and began mulling doubts in her mind. What if Carlos' mother was some stuck up old lady who wouldn't approve of her son's potential choice of mate? What if his other sister was some arrogant rich girl intent upon ruining her brother's relationship? Yet as quick as she had let these thoughts filter into her mind, she quickly cast them aside and took a few consecutive days to unwind, journaling and finally piecing together some of C.D.'s stories for the book she still planned to write.

Her little plan had worked. Nearly all her fears were gone. And she was now eager and ready for the trip ahead. But if she didn't hurry home, she may not have to worry over it at all. She knew Carlos would wait for her. But she didn't want to put this off. They would need every minute of the three hour drive to reach their destination and check in to their hotel before they got plenty of rest to face the activities of the next day. It seemed like both an instantaneous moment and an eternity all within the same breath, Katheryn mused as she pulled to a stop in front of her apartment building and turned off the engine.

Carlos had already arrived, Kath noted by the presence of his Durango next to her own car. But he was nowhere to be found. Just as Katheryn was climbing from her Stingray, she turned, soaking in the brilliant sunset that encompassed the Dallas skyline. A smile teased her lips as she tugged at her backpack and shut her car door. She'd miss that view. But this trip was worth so much more to her.

Her thoughts must of have been jumbled beyond recognition or she simply wasn't prepared for the onslaught of coffee that flew haphazardly all over her outfit as the entrance to the apartment swung mercilessly open. Katheryn gasped and doubled-back, nearly losing her balance to the escaping menace who was now charging away from the scene. Whoever they were, they paid little regard to Katheryn who stood dumbfounded at her ruined shirt. She could have cried but wouldn't let herself. This trip had to be perfect. Not just for her but for Carlos. And now she'd be delayed again.

Katheryn managed to mop up the bare necessities of the mess with two or three restaurant napkins from lunch she had stashed in her purse. But their efforts could not hide the obvious. Her outfit was ruined.

Unable to reach her keys, Kath rapped on her apartment door three gentle times and waited, her smile having faded to despair.

As the door opened, Molly's smile too went from bright to dim. "Oh my! What happened to you, Kath?! Come inside. Let's get you out of those clothes."

Katheryn sighed sharply as she followed Molly inside. "Some lunatic flew out of the apartment as I was coming in. Apparently they thought my shirt could use a few mocha highlights."

"I'm so sorry, Kath."

"It was sorta hot too."

"Ouch," Molly exclaimed. "You need to take a shower then?"

"Yeah," Kath continued to frown. "I'll take a bath though. Relax my muscles for a second. That way I won't have to spend time doing my hair again. At least the coffee missed my hair. For that I can be thankful I guess." Katheryn heard a bit of laughter coming from her bedroom and stopped abruptly. "Who's in there?!"

Molly grinned and was about to answer when Carlos and Tommy revealed themselves.

"Kath," Carlos beamed and nearly wrapped her in a quick embrace. But Katheryn took a step back, preventing him from doing so. His brows furrowed, glancing her over. He then relaxed. "Didn't care for your coffee?" Carlos cracked a smile.

"Very funny," Katheryn scoffed and wove her way in between Molly and Carlos on her way to the bathroom. She gave the door a bit of a slam and rested her back against the door to run a handy over her weary face. This day was not going how she wanted it too. Carlos didn't deserve this. Maybe this was all a waste of time. Surely they could plan a better time for her to meet the rest of his family. _Snap out of it_ , Kath quickly reprimanded herself. _Everything's going to be okay. Get yourself together!_ And that she did, quickly selecting a casual blouse and jeans to change into after her bath.

Half an hour later, Katheryn stepped out of her bath and wrapped her towel around her. She ambled over to the mirror to check her hair and makeup. It actually was not that bad. In fact, she couldn't have felt better if she tried. Somehow the very thing that tried to ruin the day had made it better. The bath was just what the doctor ordered.

Once in her fresh clothes, Katheryn sauntered out into the bedroom and smiled in her vanity mirror as she slipped in a pair of earrings and selected a scrunchie from her large, colorful collection. She tied her hair back resolutely and quickly grabbed her suitcase and purse. Finally, she was ready to go.

Carlos was waiting for her in the living room as Katheryn joined him and Molly. In fact, Kath noticed how quickly they stopped talking and cocked a smile at each of them. "What were you two talking about?"

"Oh, nothing." Carlos shrugged, winked, and reached to take her suitcase. "I'll meet you in the car."

Suddenly Katheryn was very suspicious. Carlos was never that edgy. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps this all was a bad idea.

Molly noticed the frown and quickly took her friend by her shoulders. "Hey, where's that smile?"

"Carlos," Katheryn explained. "Why is he acting so weird with me today?"

"I assure you nothing is wrong. In fact, he was just saying how much he's been looking forward to taking this trip with you. He's wanted you to meet his mom for so long. She means the world to him, Kath."

Katheryn's gently-growing smile seemed to wash all her fears away again. "Thanks, Molly." The two best friends wrapped their arms around each other. "I'll miss you."

"And I'll miss you more," Molly chuckled. "But it's only for a few days. You'll bring back a souvenir for me won't you?"

"Absolutely," Kath beamed and started for the door. She turned back one last wave as she closed the apartment door. As she walked alone to the elevator, she was suddenly filled with a dose of joy about the trip. Something inside of her seemed to tell her that everything was going to be just fine.

* * *

"So I should probably come clean about something," Carlos told Katheryn as they merged onto the freeway.

"Oh? What's that?"

"We aren't going to Austin."

"What? What do you mean? I thought you said I was going to meet your family?"

Carlos suppressed a smile. He couldn't lie very well. Besides, the look of concern on Kath's face was not worth the pain he would cause her by dragging this charade on any longer. "We're going to Mexico."

Katheryn was dumbfounded. "Excuse me? I didn't pack my passport just for your information."

Carlos reached inside his leather coat's pocket and drew out a shiny, navy blue passport and flashed it at her with a grin to go right along with it. "Molly helped me."

"You! So that's what you two were talking about." Katheryn crossed her arms and laughed the matter away.

"That…among other things," Carlos mumbled.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. All I said was she found it in your things."

"Oh," Kath nodded, her nose in the air as she could read Carlos like a book. He was still hiding something from her. She wasn't sure what that could possibly be. But he had never lied to her since they first met last year. Why would he start now?

"Just one question. Why did you say we were going to Austin in the first place?" Kath reasoned.

"That's where my mom lives. Teresa found a perfect retirement community for her there. She's made tons of friends."

"I don't understand," Katheryn inserted. "Dallas has plenty of good retirement communities. And you and Teresa live here. And Carmen and Hector. Wouldn't she want to live near her family?"

"Well, not exactly," Carlos confessed, hesitating to explain. "She insisted to move there because she didn't want to be a burden on her family. She said it was the right thing to do."

Kath scoffed. "I can just imagine what you and Teresa said."

"Oh, you should have heard Teresa," Carlos smiled, remembering back several years ago. "Teresa would not hear a word of it. But after we saw how happy she was, we backed off and let her live her life since that's what she wanted us to do to."

Katheryn turned to watch Texas pass them by. She sighed. "That still doesn't seem right." Kath quickly turned back to Carlos. "But that still doesn't explain to me why we're going to Mexico of all places."

Carlos' cheesy grin nearly gave him away. "Our mother wanted to go there one last time. She insists she won't be around much longer. I think she'll outlive the lot of us. But anyways, she wanted to see the place where she grew up just one last time before she dies. And she wanted her family with her to see the place. Teresa thought what a better time for you to meet the Sandoval clan than that."

Katheryn's lips curved upward as she thought about how sweet of a gesture that sounded like. "You know, I think I'm rather looking forward to meeting your mom. She sounds like a wonderful woman from what you and Teresa have said."

Carlos flashed her a knowing smile in return, tempted to kiss her had he not been driving. "I think she'll like you too. At least I hope she does. Because I think you're very close to perfect, Miss Beaumont. Very close."


	2. Part 2

**.**

* * *

 **FAMILY REUNION**

 **Chapter Two**

* * *

"Hey, mom?" Leon Ochoa called from the dining room, stretching over his homework to get his mother's attention.

Amy snapped out of her reverie, setting aside her moment of gazing at the moon to set down the dish she was drying and step into the adjacent dining room. "Yes, Leon honey?"

Leon settled back in his seat and thumped his sheet of paper with the eraser end of his pencil. "Can you help me with this math problem? Mrs. Ramirez didn't have time to go over this part today in class. I can't figure it out."

"Sure," Amy beamed and took a seat next to her son. Although she was no math whizz either, she managed to help Leon understand the problem. And what she couldn't show him, he figured out on his own. All he needed was that little nudge to help him.

Leon continued to do his homework after Amy had helped him. Meanwhile, Amy remained seated next to him, her chin cradled by her fist as she smiled subtly over her son.

"What?" Leon asked, awkwardly eyeing her from the side.

"I'm just so proud of you," she explained. "Ever since you said no to the gangs last year and joined the Police Scouts, you've become a completely different person. And I'm so proud of you." Amy reached to plant a kiss on Leon's forehead.

Leon's thoughts raced as he remembered back. "I messed up bad, didn't I?"

Amy nodded. "Oh, but I still loved you."

"Even when I treated you and Detective Sandoval so rudely?"

"Even then." Amy's mouth turned up a bright smile as she wrapped her arms around her son.

But apparently Leon was beginning to feel he was too old for such gestures as he wriggled just barely beneath her grasp.

"Oh, so you're getting too old for a hug from your madre though?" Amy laughed.

Suddenly, Leon realized it wasn't so bad and dropped his pencil to give her a hug in return. "Never." He paused to look her in the eyes. "Just…not in public. Ok, mom?"

Amy chuckled and touched him on the nose. "Okay. Not in public."

Glass suddenly shattered into a million pieces in front of them, immediately interrupting the moment as flames erupted and began to engulf the room. Meanwhile, Amy had sheltered Leon to the ground in the wake of the piercing sound, not realizing the flames inched closer to them both.

"Mom!" Leon shouted, pointing to the carpet next to Amy's foot. It was on flame and burning across the room quickly.

"Hurry! Get to the water! Now!"

Amy and Leon rushed into the kitchen grabbing towels and bowls and cups—anything that could be soaked or filled with water to help contain the blaze. Amy stayed over the flames, smothering them with a wet towel as quickly as she could manage. Yet the smoke caused her to cough constantly, almost rendering her unable to fight the fire. Meanwhile, Leon continued to run from the kitchen to the dining room, filling containers with water and dousing the fire just as quickly as his feet could carry him.

"Call 911!" Amy managed through the coughing fits that seized her.

"But…"

"Do it now!"

Without another word, Leon did as he was told while the fire showed no signs of letting up at any point.

Nearly half an hour later, Amy and Leon were huddled together outside the paramedic unit, watching as half of their home remained among the other burned rooms. Flashing red and blue lights swarmed the narrow street, the cool evening hair serving as somewhat of a respite to the mother and son who had nearly become victims. Still, they were victims. All Amy could think about was the fact that now they wouldn't be able to live in their own home for months. And she could hardly afford repairs. _Leon doesn't deserve this_ , she thought to herself. _He's been working so hard to make something of himself. I can't let that go to waste!_

"Amy!"

The sharp male voice jerked Amy from her despair. She quickly stood off of the paramedic's truck edge to discard her wrap, circling the truck to see who was calling her name.

"Sal!" Amy threw her arms around her older brother, tears falling freely now that she was able to shed them.

"Shhh!" Sal consoled her, holding her tightly. "I heard what happened over the radio and came as quick as I could." He pulled away to look at her. "Are you both okay?"

Nodding through her tears, Amy replied, "The kitchen and dining room is completely ruined. But they managed to save the rest of the house."

"Leon?" Sal moved over to his nephew. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm okay, Uncle Sal."

"Thank God."

Leon gladly accepted a hug from Sal, the latter giving him a solid pat on the back as they separated.

Leon turned back to Amy. "You'll stay at my place tonight until you can sort things out."

"Sal," Amy interrupted, touching him on the arm and searching for his eyes.

"Yes?"

"Someone tried to kill us."

"What do you mean?! I thought it was a grease fire."

Amy shook her head. "No. Someone threw some sort of contraption through our window. It exploded through the window and caught fire. Someone did it on purpose." She wiped at her tears. She knew Sal would be furious. He had fought the bad guys on the streets for years and would not be happy that they tried to hurt his own family.

Sal clasped his lips shut. He seemed to be thinking…gathering the words to say. "I'll go talk to Ranger Walker first thing in the morning after I see the firemen's report. Hopefully we can sort all this out. Someone will pay."

Amy knew it. She could see the anger in his eyes. It wasn't evil but passionate. Still, she hoped Sal would take it easy and not do something he'd regret.

* * *

The shimmering lights of the runway was the first thing Katheryn saw as Carlos nudged her awake from the side, her eyes flickering open as a smile spread across her over-relaxed face. By what she could vaguely make out through her stupor, the pilot had just announced their arrival into Mexico City. Thankfully, she was awake enough by the time the plane had taxied to a complete stop at the terminal. As best as she could, Kath stretched and yawned, eager to join Carlos who had already begun retrieving their luggage from the overhead compartments along with the other passengers.

Waiting for them at the airport entrance some distance from the terminal was Theresa along with Jesse and Carlos' nephew Hector who had all arrived a few days prior. Eagerly they peered across the half-empty airport hoping to catch a glimpse of Carlos and Katheryn.

"Uncle Carlos!" Jesse suddenly hollered out loud, startling Theresa beside him.

As Theresa turned, Jesse was running to meet the couple, giving each of them a tight hug before shoeing them the way to the other family members who were nearly forgotten.

"It's so good to see you, Theresa!" Katheryn exclaimed, taking advantage of a quick hug from the beautiful woman before Carlos had his sister all to himself.

"Kath," Carlos turned to get her attention, tapping her on the arm. "I'd like you to meet my nephew Hector. Hector, this is the love of my life Katheryn Beaumont."

Kath refused Hector's offer of a handshake and quickly wrapped him in a hug. "It's so good to finally meet you, Hector. I've heard so much about you. Where's Carman and that sweet baby of yours?"

Hector gave a half-smile. "They are at the hotel with abuela Catalina. But they are so eager to meet the girl that's managed to rope in their uncle." He winked over at Carlos.

"Haha. Very funny," Carlos jabbed. "Alright! Let's get a move on people! We're burning daylight."

Katheryn laughed out loud, not hiding the snort that accompanied it. "You do realize it's almost 9 P.M. don't you?"

Carlos distracted her with a quick peck on the cheek as they began following the others out of the airport. "Minor details. Nothing to worry about. I'm just glad you're here no matter what time of day it is."

* * *

Her mouth curved into a smile as she paced to the calendar on Ranger Trivette's desk in Ranger Headquarters. Suddenly she remembered this month would mark two years since she became a Texas Ranger. Ambling back to her own desk, the hubbub of the massive office space was just as lulling as it was invigorating. Truth be told, she had no idea how she ever got any work done. At the same time, she pushed aside all the negative thoughts that tempted her to think about what her life would be like had she not applied to join the Rangers, had she not met Ranger Walker, and had she not truly found herself among the people of the organization. Even with the sacrifices she had to make sometimes in her personal life, in the end it was worth it.

Bobbie immediately set to filing away a few case files in the nearby filing cabinet, not noticing anyone had entered as she relived the cases virtually through each label she read. It was satisfying to know how much good she was doing for the city of Dallas even if she only played a small part.

"Excuse me."

Bobbie turned, startled, to address whomever had attempted to get her attention. "I'm sorry," she chuckled. "I was caught up in my work. What can I do for you?"

"That's okay. Is Ranger Walker here?"

Bobbie shook her head. "No. I'm afraid you just missed him. He and Miss Cahill went away together for a camping vacation. They'll be gone the rest of the week. I think Rangers Gage and Cooke are still here though. I think Trivette is due back from lunch any minute. Would you like me to call them for you?"

"No. No, that's okay," he explained, turning to leave. "Just let them know Detective Ochoa came by. I'm sure they'll be in contact with me then."

"Ochoa?" Bobbie echoed. "Sal?"

"Yes, Detective Sal Ochoa." He didn't seem to understand the lady ranger's sudden fascination with his name as he nodded dumbly. But then he realized why as he gave her desk placard a quick glance over. "Bobbie," Sal smirked. "So it is you."

Roberta turned back to the filing cabinet and gave it a hard and emphatic slam shut. "I'm surprised we haven't run into each other already what with the way the Rangers work so closely with the department and all."

"Yeah. Me too," Sal cleared his throat, fumbling around with ideas in his mind. He should leave before he said something he would regret. "Well, have a good day, officer…I mean… _Ranger_ Hunt. Please let the others know I called."

"I will," Bobbie replied. But the comment was not as fast as Sal's departure and was left dangling from Roberta's lips as if she had hardly said anything at all.

* * *

 _ **Ever since I connected the dots between the facts that Amy Ochoa and her son Leon and Detective Sal Ochoa from completely different episodes and stories all had the same last name, it sparked in me the very credible idea that they could have been related. True, they didn't HAVE to be. But why not? The most logical solution in my mind was that Sal could be Amy's older brother. So that's the direction I decided to go!**_ _ **Also, you'll notice that Sal and Bobbie seem to know each other. Trust me, they'll get to relive their past and get to know each other even more in the near future. I'm eager to explore this new idea of mine! I hope you all are enjoying this new tale so far.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading and reviewing as always! God Bless, 'Kath'**_


	3. Part 3

**.**

* * *

 **FAMILY REUNION**

 **Chapter Three**

* * *

By the time Carlos and Katheryn had arrived back at the hotel with the other family members the night before, Catalina had already gone to bed, Carman explained just as she greeted them outside her hotel room to quiet them. She had said something about a terrible headache and that she wanted to feel her best when she finally saw Carlos and his girl. Still, the notion made Kath more uneasy than she already was about meeting who in her mind could possibly, just maybe, be her future mother-in-law. That fantasy aside, she wondered if the woman's excuse was just that…an innocent excuse. Or was it just an attempt to delay the inevitable? Perhaps deny that Katheryn was even there. Not risk offending a young woman she hardly knew but already hated. After all, it was always hard to contest with a woman when another woman was stealing away her son from her.

Twisting around in her bed, Kath sighed sharply against the covers still on top of her head. She quickly threw them aside and forced herself upright, swinging her feet around to touch the barely plush floors. Kath could almost swear she felt wood beneath that thin layer. She glanced at the wall clock. _6:43_. She had to dress quickly. Jeans and a simple blouse would do.

Kath had planned to have breakfast with Carlos at seven before the rest of the family joined them. Something about Carlos having something to talk to her about privately, Carlos had explained after giving her a rather intimate goodnight kiss that would have lasted longer had Jesse not sneaked up on them from behind. His cheeky grin had given him away. And somehow Kath felt Carlos swearing him to secrecy would do no good.

As Katheryn arrived on the first floor of the hotel, she gave the hallway a thorough glance before stepping out of the elevator. Immediately she took advantage of her privacy to laugh her actions away. She was on vacation! There was no need to be so wary of her surroundings. After all, she was with the good guys…family in fact. At least they were quickly beginning to feel like that more and more.

Rounding the distant corner into the restaurant area that doubled as a snack lounge, she quickly noticed how quiet it was. A television hung in the corner broadcasted local Spanish-speaking news so loudly that she could hardly hear Carlos call her from a private corner at the opposite end of the room. She smiled to let him know she saw him and quickly grabbed a plate, dishing up several delightful goodies before she joined Carlos at their table.

"Okay," she grinned mischievously, beginning to spread some cream cheese on her warm bagel. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Kath took a gigantic bite, unfortunately spreading cream cheese on her face. Carlos simply stared at her, refusing the strong urge to burst out laughing. Instead, he reached with a napkin and gently brushed away the evidence from her cheek. Meanwhile, Kath was busy blushing and grabbing at her own napkins to complete the task.

After a brief laugh to clear the air, Carlos took a deep breath and gestured out the window. "Theresa and I are planning to do a walk-through tour of the city today to get familiar with our surroundings. Then we'll go see our mom's house tomorrow. It's on the outskirts of the city. We'll probably have to take a cab for that."

"I see." Kath took another bite of food, careful not to make it apart of her morning makeup routine this time. She then swallowed, took a sip of orange juice, and cleared her throat. Carefully she lowered her gaze, staring headlong across the table. Carlos paused to return the look as if to ask what the matter was. "Now I know you didn't want to have a private breakfast just to tell me that. You could have told me that while everyone else was with us. So…what gives?" She took another sip of juice to await his answer.

Carlos cleared his throat, raising a brow in thought. "I just wanted to spend time with the most beautiful girl on the planet. Is that so wrong?"

"No," Kath smirked. "But I know you're not telling me the whole truth. Now out with it, Sandoval."

"Alright," he took a deep breath. "You got me."

Reaching into his pocket, Carlos revealed what Kath immediately recognized as a jewelry box. She almost assumed the obvious but held herself in check as her heart began beating a thousand times per seconds. She was sure the entire hotel staff could see her heart thumping outside of her chest.

Opening the box, Carlos set it on the table and slid it gently across for Katheryn to get a better look at it. "It was my mom's. My dad gave it to my mom when he wanted to be clear he cared for her a lot. And I've wanted to give this to you since our first date earlier this year. But mom refused to let the post office handle such fragile contents. She gave it to me last night so I could finally give it to you."

As soon as she had wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye to see in front of her clearly, Katheryn picked up the box to examine the contents a bit more thoroughly. It was a beautiful pair of earrings. A shapely golden teardrop with an emerald stone set right in the middle of it that shimmered in the morning sunlight. _I guess she doesn't think I'm prude_ , Katheryn thought randomly to herself, relieved that if she thought more highly of her than the post office, that must be a good start.

Interrupting her thoughts, Carlos took her hand and gave it a squeeze, drawing her gaze. "And this gift means the same for me giving it to you as it did when my dad gave it to my mom. I love you, Katheryn Beaumont."

"I love you too," Katheryn managed to whisper through the lump in her throat. She then quickly cleared her throat and closed the jewelry box. "I can't wait to try them on."

"They'll look beautiful on you. I know they will."

"Well, hello, you two lovebirds!" Theresa exclaimed, instructing Jesse to help her drag a table to connect it to the couple's. "I hope you don't mind us joining you." She spotted the box in Katheryn's hand and gave Carlos a wink. "I see you gave them to her."

"I sure did," Carlos confessed with an unashamed smile. "Is mom with you?"

"She'll be down shortly. Apparently Hector and Carmen wanted some time alone this morning. So she's watching the baby."

Jesse rolled his eyes, planting himself rather lethargically in the seat next to Carlos with his breakfast in hand. "Those two would stay cooped up in their hotel room for hours if we let them." He smirked, a smile spreading across his face. "Come to think of it," he glanced between Kath and Carlos, "You two probably would too."

"Jesse Estrella!" Theresa turned a new shade of red.

Meanwhile, Carlos and Katheryn were busy laughing at the teen's naïve comment.

"What is so funny, everyone?"

All laughing ceased.

Theresa quickly rose and pulled out a chair for her mother. "Have a seat, mama," she offered with a smile.

Mrs. Sandoval brushed Theresa off with a wave of her hand and took a hold of the chair herself. "Oh, daughter, I can very well seat myself! I'm not old and frail yet."

From the far side of the table, Katheryn wanted to hide…anywhere. And fast. She could almost feel eyes on her at any second now ready to scrutinize "the new girl" while they dished questions at a mile per minute. Carlos eyed her from across the table and tried to wink at her to ease her nerves. But Kath didn't notice. She was too busy shoving a bite of bagel into her mouth and catching a glimpse at the television through a reflection in the wall mirror. Surely that would help the already awkward situation.

After getting the eyes from his older sister, Carlos cleared his throat to speak. "Mom?"

Mrs. Sandoval raised her head and smiled at her youngest son. "Yes, Carlos?"

"I, um," he cleared his throat a bit more nervously this time. "I'd like you to meet Katheryn, mom. Katheryn Beaumont."

Mrs. Sandoval leaned forward to get a look at Kath down the table from her next to Theresa. She smiled. "Hello, dear." And without hesitation she stood and circled Theresa to where Kath sat.

Impulsively, Katheryn stood and quickly felt two strong arms wrapping around her tall figure. She smiled oddly and tried to return the embrace. But the older clearly had the advantage over her.

Pulling away, Mrs. Sandoval gave Kath a broad, toothy smile. "It is so wonderful to finally lay eyes on the woman that has managed to fall in love with my son. And whatever he's said about me, don't believe a word of it." She winked.

Kath chuckled. "Oh, he's said nothing but good things I assure you."

"That is good. I hope you haven't been nervous about meeting me. I can assure you that you are more than welcome here. As far as I'm concerned, you are _familia_."

A wave of relief washed over Katheryn as she choked back a small dose of happy tears that threatened to spill over and proceeded to hug the proud woman once more. "You don't know how happy I am to finally hear that, Mrs. Sandoval."

"Oh, nonsense. Call me Catalina, dear. That's my name. Hector's little one calls me Grandma Cat," she laughed. "I much prefer _abuela_ though. Perhaps if Carlos here ever makes me a grandmother, his children might call me that."

A shade of red cradled Kath's pale face as she turned away. "Thank you," she interjected, "...for the gift. Carlos said it belonged to you."

"Oh, you're welcome, child. You're very welcome." Catalina gave the breakfast table a thorough glance over. "Well, let's eat!"

* * *

"Ah, I don't know," Roberta stammered doubtfully, playing with the handle on her coffee mug.

Ranger Sydney Cooke gave her a sideways gaze from her seat beside Ranger Hunt at C.D.'s bar. "What do you mean by 'I don't know'? The Gavin company heroine bust was one of the most successfully executed operations in the DPD's history. Geez, I've learned so much from that bust as a new Ranger. How can you not admire the guys who planned that one?"

Bobbie hesitated. "Let's just say I don't think that certain leaders of that particular operation as you call it has enough brains to blow their nose with."

Sydney choked back a laugh. "Seriously?! Bobbie, you've given rookie police officers more benefit of the doubt than you do detectives in the force. I thought you of all people would understand. I know Detective Kelly was a woman, but…"

"It's not that, Sydney, and you know it."

"Then what gives?!"

Bobbie took a rather long thoughtful sip of her coffee before the ceramic clanged gently onto the bar as she set it down. Taking a deep breath, Bobbie smiled half-sarcastically in Sydney's direction. "Detective Sal Ochoa. He and I are not the best of friends I guess you could say."

"I see," Sydney cleared her throat. "Do you mind me asking what happened between you two? Was it personal?"

"Oh, no," Bobbie shook her head furiously. "Nothing like that!" She laughed that ridiculous notion away. "He and I attended the police academy together. We were rivals. My scores in everything were just above his by a hair length. He's always resented me for that. Oh, he was relentless all through the academy. He did everything short of trying to get himself kicked out. He and his buddies played practical jokes on me and a few other ladies who tried to make it to the top. But of course I got the brunt of it all. When I graduated with higher scores, he told me not to bet on ever making it passed the blue uniform to anything else."

"Bobbie," Sydney interjected gently. "Sal may have been ruthless in his day. But he's a good man now. He sometimes jumps to conclusions and acts out of passion sometimes. But he's a great guy. Just ask any Ranger in Company C. No better man to have fighting on your side."

"That may be," Bobbie remarked. "But it still doesn't change the fact that he resented me. Especially when promotions came up. The captain told everybody that I was going to be the first one promoted in that coming year. But Sal wouldn't hear of it. And somehow he convinced the cap to not promote me. But in a sure handy twist of fate, he wasn't promoted either when Captain realized why Sal wanted that. So neither of us were promoted."

"Then how come Sal is detective now?"

"He had to work a little harder. So did I. But I decided then I wanted to aim for the Rangers. I was absolutely afraid that some freak accident would throw him and me together as partners. So when the captain brought up promotions again, I recommended Sal. He's always resented that. Like somehow I gave him the job he didn't earn. Which is bull.

"I regretted suggesting him to this day. Because I've had to work ten times as harder to get to where I am today. All because I'm a woman."

"I know what you mean," Sydney offered sympathetically. "You know, I'm surprised you two haven't crossed paths since then."

"Oh, we have."

"When?!"

"Yesterday afternoon right after Walker left. He came in asking for you guys." Bobbie chuckled. "He was pretty shocked to see me instead."

"I can just imagine! What did you tell him?"

"Well, contrary to his opinion, I can be civil. I told him I'd tell y'all he came by. Then he stormed off like some child having a temper tantrum."

Sydney's lips curled up. "It couldn't have been all that bad."

"Maybe," Bobbie reasoned. "Still, I wish I could avoid him in the future. It would save me a world of wasted time."


	4. Part 4

**.**

* * *

 **FAMILY REUNION**

 **Chapter Four**

* * *

Butch was quite busy with the delivery man just outside of Uppercuts, Molly noted as she parked her car and slipped inside the building out of the chilly fall temps. She then proceeded up the stairs behind the bar that led right up to Thunder Investigations and peeked around to see Trent in the pin-drop silence typing away at his laptop.

"You got a moment?"

Trent lifted his head and smiled. "For you? Maybe even two or three."

Molly grinned and revealed herself fully, shedding her coat as she took a seat. "I saw Butch was pretty busy downstairs so I let myself in. I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"No not at all. I can finish this police report later." Trent closed his laptop resolutely and rose to circle the table. He stooped low to plant a quick kiss on Molly's lips before he took her coat and hung it by his on the nearby hanger. Returning to the front of his desk, Trent balanced his weight on the corner and gave Molly his full attention. "Now as much as I'd like to believe that you just came here to see me, I have a feeling you're here for more than the company."

"You know me too well," Molly sighed, a smile teasing her lips. "To be honest the apartment is a little too quiet with Katheryn gone. Tommy briefly helped me plan a project last night that Carlos asked me to work on while they were gone. But today is my day off from the center and I can't stand having nothing to do."

"Well, Butch could always use another cook."

Molly deadpanned. "Very funny."

"Hey, I hear a good place just opened up a few blocks away. Would you like to try it out for lunch?"

"Sounds good," Molly replied happily. "To tell you the truth, I wanted to ask you something."

"Spill it," Trent grinned, knowing all too well those words had been stewing in Molly's mind for the past five minutes.

Molly relaxed in her chair, briefly stealing a glance from the sunlit window behind Trent. Trent noticed this and stretched in front of Molly with a smile to regain her attention. "I'm sorry," she chuckled. "Carlos," she finally confessed. "Has he been acting any differently lately to you?"

Trent chuckled. "He's been practically a different person since Katheryn happened to him. You'll have to be a little more specific."

"True," Molly laughed a little a little more, lightening the mood. "It's just that before he and Kath left yesterday, he asked me to do something that seemed rather odd. I don't know. I'm probably overthinking this whole thing."

"Well," Trent pried. "What did he ask you to do? Rob a bank?" Molly glared him down. "Just kidding. Seriously now. What did he say?"

Molly took a deep breath. "He asked me to take pictures of those water gardens over in Fort Worth."

"Do what?!"

"That's what I said. He said he wanted me to take the pictures and have them printed and sent to him privately so that Katheryn wouldn't know anything about it. He insisted I do it while they were away in Austin."

"Hmm," Trent thought for a moment. "That _is_ strange. He's never talked about the water gardens from what I can remember. And none of our cases involved that place."

Suddenly, Molly gasped softly.

Trent's eyes flashed open wider. "What?! What is it?"

"He's going to propose! That's it!"

"You think he's finally going to do it?" A grin twisted at Trent's mouth doubtfully.

Molly couldn't stop smiling. "It's the only thing I can think of. And it's brilliant! Such a gorgeous place! And it explains why he wants me to take the pictures at dusk too. Best time of day for something that romantic!"

Trent stood off of his desk and circled around to reclaim his office chair. "Well then what do you say to having dinner tonight? I can pick you up early and we'll go snap those photos before we eat."

"I'd love that," Molly beamed. "But what about our lunch plans?"

"Who said anything about canceling our lunch plans?" Trent replied, his mouth twisting into a mischievous grin.

* * *

The first hour of their tour around the city passed far too quickly in Katheryn's opinion as she walked hand in hand with Carlos just behind the others. While they continued to eagerly explore, the two love birds were content to take in the view slowly and truly soak in the day. Thankfully, Theresa and Catalina still remembered the city fairly well since they were the two oldest of the little family group. Katheryn was amazed that although the city had undoubtedly changed drastically over the years, Carlos' mom seemed to still recall some areas and places she had visited in her younger days. There was one haunt where she remembered her husband taking her for dinner thirty years ago on a return trip from the United States to visit family members. There were still other places she could recall her feet having taken her on other countless and petty occasions. But Kath could see the light still twinkling in Catalina's eyes. This city was special to her. And although Katheryn had yet to learn any true history behind the city, the family history she was steadily learning about that it contained was almost just as special.

As they continued to trace a path through the city, Katheryn's first impressions were ones of fascination and intrigue. Most of all, she realized just how different Mexico City was in contrast to how she had always perceived it to be like. For some reason she had always pictured it as some poor village with thatched roofs dotting the landscape while goats and cows roamed the dirt streets. While the city was far from being a bustling New York City or such, it still was a place filled with far more modern touches than one might think. Freeways, skyscrapers, and modern cars scattered across the landscape briefly gave her a contradictory taste against what her ignorance had fed her over the years.

"Thanks for bringing me here," Katheryn suddenly whispered, leaning in to Carlos while they were alone briefly.

Startled slightly, Carlos shot her a crooked smile. "You're welcome. But why exactly?"

"I don't know," she confessed with a fading smile as she thought through his question. "It just feels good to see the world from another perspective. Sometimes you spend so long in one place that it takes traveling to another country entirely to really feel human again." She laughed. "I sound silly."

"No!" Carlos quickly corrected Kath as they stopped to wait for their turn to cross the street, rejoining the others. "I understand. At least I think I do."

Suddenly, Hector and Carmen's little one began making a fuss. Her little arms flailed into the air as her shrieks became louder. Carmen was almost to tears and overcome.

Not quite sure if it was her place or not, Katheryn dove in and asked Carmen if she would like her to hold the child. Carmen consented rather quickly, and instantly Katheryn knew she had gone insane. She had absolutely no experience with babies outside of the H.O.P.E. center. And even then she was never over the daycare center alone. She was far from being an expert on these things! But not wanting to embarrass herself, Kath put on a strong front and began bobbing the child in her harms, hushing her and cradling her closely. By some miracle of divine intervention, the child began to calm down.

Carmen stepped forward and handed Katheryn the baby's bottle of juice. "Maybe she needs some food. Something's been the matter with her for days. Hector and I have barely gotten any sleep or time together because she's been crying nonstop it seems like. I just feel so helpless." She wiped a tear away and turned to Hector.

Theresa immediately realized what was going on. Laying her hand on the little one's forehead she turned to Carmen. "Why didn't you tell us what was going on? Sam is okay. She just has a small fever. She's teething, sweetheart. Nothing to be worried about." Theresa offered her niece a broad smile to ease her worries.

"That—that's all?" Carmen asked calmly, refusing to let herself cry any longer.

At Theresa's reassuring nod, Carmen looked over to Katheryn to see her baby's head resting gently against the newcomer's shoulder. She was sucking her thumb now and seemed to be content in Kath's embrace.

Meanwhile, Carlos couldn't help but smile while Hector and Jesse watched with intrigue. It seemed like a miracle indeed.

Katheryn's mind swirled with emotion as everyone watched the sleeping child. Had she made a mark on the family? A right of passage in a way that proved her worth? _That's ridiculous_ , she scolded herself silently. But she still couldn't wipe the notion from her mind.

* * *

Trent parked his Corvette a long enough distance away from the Water Gardens that they would have to walk several minutes. Thankfully, Molly didn't seem to mind. She said the walk would be rather nice. And at that the couple began the sunset-bathed trek towards the famous gardens of Fort Worth. At one point, Trent managed to secure his hand in hers, drawing a smile from the young woman and a chuckle from a near passersby. But neither of them cared. To think that they might just be helping their dearest friend with the biggest day of his life seemed to plant the love bug right in the middle of them both.

Needless to say, the day had Trent in a very thoughtful mood. The idea of popping the question seemed rather enticing as he looked at Molly's bright smile and her blonde curls. He had a feeling he'd be next to pop the question. But he wouldn't dare steal his best friend's thunder. There would be plenty of time to think about his own future once they knew for sure what was up Carlos' sleeve.

As the twosome approached the edge of the gardens, Molly gasped softly. "This is so beautiful, Trent. No wonder Carlos' wants to do it here."

"Now hold on," Trent cautioned. "We don't know for sure he's going to propose."

"But what else could it possibly be?" Molly reasoned to which Trent shrugged his shoulders softly and looked out over the gorgeous landscape. "I mean it's not like he and Kath are with each other all the time. He could have easily taken the photos for himself unless he really wanted to make absolutely sure a certain woman never saw him take the photos."

Trent let a smile slip away. "Okay! Alright! He's going to propose. When do you think he'll do it?"

Molly slapped at his stomach softly. "Well, I don't have the slightest idea about that, Trent Malloy."

"Oh, I see," Trent chuckled.

"Besides," Molly glared and inserted a quick wink. "You're the private investigator. You figure it out."

With that Molly frolicked away and began carefully tracing a path from one structure to another that made up the unique paths within the gardens. Trent was careful to follow, suddenly concerned that Molly might trip or get her foot stuck in between each stepping stone. It was a silly notion he knew. She may not be the warrior woman that Katheryn was. But Molly could take care of herself just fine.

About half way across the gardens, Molly paused and reached for the camera dangling from around her neck and began snapping a few pictures onto it. She made sure to get as much of the gardens in the view and didn't miss an opportunity to capture the sunset while she was at it.

"So how's the detective business coming?" Molly suddenly surprised Trent by asking.

Trent raised an eyebrow in thought, realizing he was still silent and trying to take in the fact that Molly was more curious about the business than usual. "It—it's going okay. Funds could be greater here and there. I'm a lousy bookkeeper. Just ask Carlos. Why do you ask?"

Molly shrugged and snapped another picture as she turned around to face the other side of the gardens. "No reason in particular. I guess I'm just trying to be more proactive in taking an interest in what the people I care about are doing."

"I see." The comment made joy well in Trent's heart; but it also confused him. Molly was always interested in others. She was about the most caring woman he knew next to his own mother. "I, um, I have the feeling you're not telling me the whole truth."

"Yeah," Molly cleared her throat nervously. "That seems to be a trend today." She stopped taking pictures so that she could face Trent. "Okay. No more dancing around the truth. I need to ask you a favor."

"Name it. Anything."

"Well, I didn't make a big deal about it. But before Katheryn and Carlos left, some kid poured coffee all over Kath and she was delayed in leaving on the trip. I didn't say anything because I knew Kath would want to stay and sort things out. But I thought I might have recognized the kid from the H.O.P.E. center. I guess Katheryn was too stunned to even see his face. But he's been coming around our apartment several times lately. I'm assuming he has a family member that lives there."

"What do you need me to do though? Pouring coffee on someone isn't exactly illegal," Trent pointed out in jest.

"I know," Molly smiled. But her smile faded as quickly as it had come. "If he is who I think he is, his name is Will. William Brent. He's a part of the tutoring classes Alex just started for kids needing extra study on the side. He's about sixteen years old. But the kicker is he's been in a gang. Josie told me he's been arrested a few times. I guess part of me was hoping we could look at records or something to see exactly what he's done. And maybe that will explain why he's been coming by our apartment a lot. I mean if someone is living in our building now that's up to know good, I think we should know about it."

"Yeah, you're right," Trent confessed, his brows furrowed in thought. "Unfortunately, it's sort of illegal for me to tap into police records on my own. Carlos barely gets away with it thanks to Marita's replacement over at the precinct." Trent smirked.

"What? Do those two have a history?"

"Yeah. Sorta. Now what I can do is ask around. Maybe the Rangers know of some activity with the gang he's been in since Alex knows about him."

"Good idea."

Trent winked reassuringly. "I'll visit headquarters first things in the morning. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great," Molly beamed and then went back to snapping photos. "Just a few more oughta do it. And then operation 'Stellar Sandoval Proposal' will be officially underway."


	5. Part 5

**.**

* * *

 **FAMILY REUNION**

 **Chapter Five**

* * *

The next morning as Trent traced the familiar steps to Ranger Headquarters, he noticed the door was open just barely enough that he heard raised voices and stopped walking. Carefully, he tried to take a look inside to see what all the commotion was about. He knew immediately that he probably should come back another time.

To one side of the room near Walker and Trivette's desks was a cluster of people, mostly other Rangers and a few DPD detectives, in what appeared to be a quite heated conversation. Trent didn't recognize most of the faces. But he did recognize Ranger Hunt and a few other officers that Carlos had worked with previously when he was a detective on the force. Trent was just about to turn around and leave when someone suddenly made mention of a name he had not heard in a long time. Suddenly he paused, frozen to the opening to hear more of the conversation.

"Sal, you know good and well that the Rangers work their butts off every damn day of the week to keep the streets clean! It isn't easy! And no one is to blame for this! If you'd get off of your high horse for two minutes maybe you could work together with us instead of wanting all the glory to yourself."

Detective Ochoa scoffed and rolled his eyes away and back again. "Really?! You want to blame me for wanting all the glory?! Ha! Two can play that game, Roberta."

"This isn't a game!"

"Damn right it isn't!" Sal stormed away from the scene, brushing past Trent and into the hall in a fury, leaving the rest of the people there in shock.

With his presence now revealed, Trent stepped inside cautiously and approached Ranger Hunt as the other officers began to disperse. He could tell the woman was trying to hold back tears with a very strong and valiant effort. "Are you okay? What was that all about?"

Bobbie sniffed hard and forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just two officers with a history trying to fix the problems in the world." She laughed sarcastically before trying to brush the matter away from her mind, extending her hand. "I'm sorry. Trent Malloy, right?"

Trent nodded and shook Bobbie's hand. "Yes, that's right."

"Can I get you a cup of coffee or something?"

"No, I'm good. I just was hoping to get some help figuring out something. My girlfriend Molly has been worried about a kid who Alex and she has been helping out at the H.O.P.E. Center. I was hoping I could put her mind at ease. She's awful worried about the fellow being involved in gang activity."

"That makes two of us," Bobbie remarked as she sauntered over to her own desk at the other side of the room.

Trent arched a brow and followed the Ranger. "What do you mean?"

"That's what Ochoa and I were in an argument about. It seems he's convinced his nephew's old gang is trying to kill him now that he's left the gang. But we don't have any proof. He thinks I'm just being obnoxious about it." She sighed and pecked at a few keys on her computer. "Sal and I have a long history," she explained.

"I see," Trent replied simply, taking a seat in front of Bobbie's desk. "So the fellow's name is William Brent. Will for short. He does have a record from what Molly told me. She's just hoping he hasn't done anything recently that would be leading him astray."

Bobbie typed in the name and began scrolling through the search results. "This could be him. William Andrew Brent. Aged sixteen. Arrested for shoplifting a few times. Underage drinking a few times. All that was at least two years ago though. His record's clean for at least a year it seems."

"Does it list his last known address? A guardian?"

"It says he was released to a relative that lives at 3421 Elm Street about six months ago after living five months in foster care."

"Wait a second," Trent stopped her. "That's the same street Molly and Katheryn's apartment building is on. Molly said he's been coming around the apartment a lot. That would explain that. You know, she was also worried about whoever he was visiting with having been involved in something."

"Does she have proof?"

"No," Trent smiled. "But I've come to trust her instincts. She's getting about as bad as Kath or Walker."

Bobbie chuckled lightly—the first sign of humor in her eyes as she returned to searching the records. "I don't have a name on the relative. I'm sure social services or the department is keeping their grip on that one for obvious reasons. I'll try to tap a few sources and get some more info when I can."

"Yeah. And thanks. If you hear anything let me know." Trent rose to leave. "Molly will be happy to hear he's been clean for a year though. I think she's been growing rather attached to the kids at the center lately."

"Can you blame her?" Bobbie pointed out, offering a smile.

"Not one bit. Not one bit at all."

* * *

Arriving back at police headquarters, Detective Sal Ochoa tossed a file onto his desk before he made a straight line for Captain Philips' office. According to reception, he was needed right away. _What could it be this time?_ Sal was by no means prepared for the onslaught this week had brought him. He had nearly lost his little sister and nephew. The last thing he needed was a wet-nosed wannabe female cop standing in his way of slapping the cuffs onto the punks who tried to destroy a family in one fell swoop. Now he probably had angered internal affairs for his lack of sobriety in dealing with the Rangers. It wouldn't be the first time, he concluded, making the sharp right turn into the captain's large office.

"Ochoa," Captain Philips acknowledged Sal and waved him to come in. "I heard about what happed to your sister and her son. Are they doing okay?"

Sal nodded vaguely. "Yes, sir. Amy has a good friend at Assistant DA Alex Cahill's H.O.P.E. Center. Amy and Leon will be staying there with her while the repairs are being made to their home." Sal ended his report there, fighting every urge to continue to express how unfair he felt the department was treating this case. After all, he knew who was to blame. And the burnt embers of the victimized house was evidence enough for him.

"Well, that's good," the captain relaxed in his chair and proceeded to hand Sal a file. Sal took it and immediately took to examining its contents. "I need you to take that over to Ranger Headquarters as soon as you can."

Sal's sigh sharply cut through his words. "I can't, Captain. I just came from there, and I can't say I'd be welcomed back with open arms."

"Tough," the captain replied bluntly. "Now you've been a cop long enough to know when to man up and set your differences aside. Do I have to remind you about the time I covered your tail on the Estrella case with Detective Sandoval?"

Sal thought through his words before daring to open his mouth. "No, sir. You've made your point very clear. But if I can, sir, I'd like to point out that just like Sandoval defended his family, I have every right in the books to demand my family be looked out for too. Attempted murder, Captain. That's what we're looking at here. And no one here seems to care."

"I do care, Sal. I care a hell of a lot more than you give any of us credit for. I just don't think you can see past certain difference with a fellow cop to be able to make a rational decision here. The Texas Rangers aren't our enemy here."

"Captain, I assure you that the only thing keeping me from thinking rationally is the fear that I'm going to get a call telling me to come bury my sister and nephew. That's the only thing crowding my mind. Now if you'll excuse me," Sal handed the file back to Captain Philips, "I have work to get to."

Captain Philips refused to receive the file back and pushed it back towards Ochoa. "Starting with this, Detective." He locked eyes with the officer, unmoved and able to convey his intended message.

It seemed to work. Or else Sal was not going to be kept away from the investigation longer than he had to. Taking the file back, Sal left quickly. The sooner he had this in the Ranger's hands, the sooner he could get back to securing justice as it was meant to be dealt.

* * *

 _SLAM!_ Ranger Hunt jumped at the sudden sound and turned from her computer screen to see a slightly worn manila folder gracing her office desk. She quickly turned her gaze upward and cocked a very sarcastic smile.

"Captain Philips instructed me to be sure this was dropped off at Ranger Headquarters. It's a file I believe you requested."

"Why thank you, Sal," Bobbie continued to smile, reading disdain all over Detective Ochoa's face as she began thumbing through the file in her hands. "And here I thought you missed me for some reason and had to rush over here to be in my company."

"Hardly," Sal muttered beneath his breath. "If you'll excuse me…" And he turned to leave.

"Hey, Sal," Bobbie's voice stopped him. "I do have one favor to ask. Don't worry. It won't break your back or anything."

"Yeah?" Sal urged, slipping his hands into his pockets restlessly. He clearly didn't feel the need to stay for longer than he had to and was ready to charge the moment he was able to go.

"I know it may take every effort you can muster, but if you can I would appreciate being notified of any Trey Sevens gang activity in the near future."

"Wait, why the Trey Sevens?" Suddenly Sal was intrigued. To Bobbie's surprise, he seemed as if he was actually interested in what she had to say.

"Um," Bobbie stumbled, instantly feeling uneasy at Sal interrogation. "This file you pulled for me. It's about a kid named Will that private detective Trent Malloy wanted some information about. It seems his girlfriend has been working with the kid over at Assistant DA Cahill's center. She was concerned about his welfare. Why the sudden interest?"

"I, um, no reason. I'll listen for anything. Good day, Ranger Hunt."

Sal was nearly to the door of the Company B office when it suddenly swung open in his face. In front of him was his sister Amy, stunned and her eyes stained from crying. They seemed to be dry now. But the evidence was still there.

Silently, Amy shoved her way inside, angrily bypassing her brother in search of someone else.

"Amy," Sal followed her across the room to where Ranger Walker's desk was. "Amy!" he repeated after being ignored as Amy searched for a familiar face. "Amy, Ranger Walker isn't here. What do you need? I'm sure we can talk someplace else."

"What do I need?!" Amy snapped, all eyes turning her direction. "I need to know that something is being done to catch the criminals who nearly killed me and my son and burned my house! And you're clearly not doing a thing about it!"

"Amy, I'm doing the best I can. It's not that easy."

"Oh, that's easy for you to say. Brush your sister off with cop lingo and expect her to understand? Well, I don't, Sal. I need answers. I need to know that's not going to happen again. It could be guns next time. It could be far worse!"

"Amy," Sal said gently, trying to sooth Amy as he took her by the arms and looked her in the eyes. "I love you. I don't want a thing to happen to you or Leon. Trust me! I'm doing everything I can."

Meanwhile, Bobbie watched from her desk on the far side of the room as Amy seemed to be reassured by Sal's loving words. He took her in his arms and held her for a moment, not seeming to care that anyone was looking as he let his little sister cry it out on his shoulder. Suddenly, Roberta felt remorse. But she couldn't quite figure out why. This was a side of Sal Ochoa she had never seen since their days at the academy together. It was a side she barely knew any man could have until she had met Ranger Walker nearly two years ago. Sal had always been rough and unforgiving. Perhaps it was his passion for justice that made him that way. Either way, Bobbie held that same passion. And for the first time she could see it plainly in Sal.

Ranger Hunt set aside the file she had nearly forgotten she had even been holding in the first place and stood, ambling over to where Sal and Amy were by Walker's desk. "Sal," she dared to interrupt.

"Yeah?" Sal quipped, hesitantly pulling away from his sister.

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to help you solve this case. If gang activity is involved somehow, it might help my case too."

Sal couldn't help but stare helplessly for a second. It was as if he was beginning to see a new side of Roberta Hunt that he had never seen before. "I—I guess that would be okay. I really don't see I have much of a choice. I need all the help I can get what with Walker and the other Rangers away."

"Why don't we meet up at C.D.'s later and we could discuss the case? I bet Mr. Parker could help us out too if we needed some advice."

"Yeah," Sal surprised himself by agreeing to the plan. "I get off at six. So six thirty?"

"Works for me." Bobbie was surprised to feel a smile creep up on her face and quickly got rid of it. Even though she was ready to attempt letting bygones be bygones, she wasn't quite prepared for a full commitment to civility just yet. But, she reassured herself silently, perhaps this was a step in the right direction…whatever direction that happened to be at the time.


	6. Part 6

**.**

* * *

 **FAMILY REUNION**

 **Chapter Six**

* * *

The morning tour of Mexico City had quickly turned into a full day of exploration by the time the large group had found their ways back to the hotel to freshen up and recharge. While Carmen and Theresa had been apt to err on the side of delaying their trip to mother Catalina's childhood home until tomorrow, Catalina was quick to insist it would be okay and that they had plenty of time. Meanwhile, Theresa dreaded the task of calling enough cabs to carry their little troupe across town. It was something she had not quite put into consideration as well as she felt she should have before they took this trip. But Catalina insisted that too would not be an issue. It was Carlos who helped calm his sister and remind her just how much this trip meant to their mother.

Nearly an hour later, a beautiful crimson sunset greeted them all as two yellow cabs came to a halt on a narrow pebble stone paved street somewhere on the outskirts of the city where some of the older villages remained. The road was barely wide enough for two average-sized vehicles to travel next to each other. On either side of the road lining the long row of conjoined buildings was a very narrow but elevated brick pathway marking a path parallel to the street. The buildings themselves were fairly modest structures, varying in color from one to another. And each building was shorter than the other as you traveled south down the road. Most of the homes were painted in warm shades of red, yellow, brown, orange, and some white.

"Oh, no," Theresa blurted out, tapping her little brother on the shoulder as they approached their destination.

Carlos and Kath looked at her in earnest.

"Are you okay?" Kath questioned.

"Yeah," Theresa faked a smile. "I just remembered that the cab service doesn't run here in the outside villages past eight at night."

"You're point being?" Carlos urged further.

Theresa looked him in the eyes sternly. "That means, little brother, that we might just be stuck here for the night. And we didn't bring any bags or anything. And we probably have barely enough money between us to get back home." She sighed sharply and laid her head back on the car's seat. "This has been a disaster."

Carlos tried to keep from laughing, cover his face with hand as he felt a chuckle surface in his throat.

Katheryn noticed this and slapped him on the arm. "You could have a little sympathy, Carlos!"

Carlos uncovered his face and looked to Kath as if he was begging for a bit of mercy. "You have to understand something. Carmen's mom, our other sister Rosa…"

"Is a genuine pain in the butt," Theresa explained, her arms crossed against her chest in angst.

Katheryn wanted to burst out laughing. It was hard to be very sympathetic now. "You'll have to give me a few more details here though. I can't understand how such a tight-knit family like you guys could ever have a rift with one another."

Once calmed, Theresa turned to Katheryn. "Back when Rosa and I were kids, she simply tried her best to make sure we all knew she was the oldest. She was the first one to move out before Carlos had even started walking as a baby. And she didn't even come to Hector's funeral."

"Then I don't understand," Katheryn stated, clearly confused. "Why do you think that's so funny, Carlos?"

"I don't," Carlos tried to backtrack. It wasn't funny at all, she was right. "It's just that I can't get the image of Theresa and Rosa having a food fight with each other." Carlos commenced to laughing again.

"That was over a decade ago," Theresa defended herself.

"Theresa," Carlos stated emphatically. "Jesse was a toddler and behaved more maturely than the both of you. I bet he was wondering why his mother and aunt had gone crazy." Carlos couldn't hide his next chuckle.

Theresa spouted off in Spanish at her brother before she finally resolved to get out of the cab once and for all. "Go ahead and laugh. Come on, Kath. Let's go and let my immature little brother revel in the humor of the moment."

But Carlos did not wait behind and quickly followed behind Katheryn as she scooted outside one side of the back of the cab while Theresa made her way to Jesse, Hector, Carmen, and Mama Catalina in the second cab.

After Carlos paid the first cab driver, the little vehicle left fairly quickly in route for the city where he knew more fairs could be waiting for him. Meanwhile, Kath and Carlos stood in the street in front of the second cab waiting hand-in-hand for the others to join them.

Even as the door to the cab barely opened, Katheryn and Carlos could hear the piercing cries of little Sam as Carmen tried in vain to quiet her. Emerging from the cab was the faces of pure exhaustion. Jesse seemed to be the worse for wear, sauntering over to his uncle and his girlfriend with a look of torture gracing his face.

"Boy, am I glad to be out of there," Jesse sighed sharply and pounded his forehead on Carlos' shoulder as if trying to forget the horrible ordeal as quickly as possible.

Kath looked to Carlos and whispered that she'd be right back. Coming to Carmen's rescue, Katheryn offered to take the baby from her so that she could gather her composure before she got out of the cab. Once again, her presence worked like a charm, and Sam settled down seconds later.

Walking back over to where Carlos and Jesse were, Katheryn felt Carlos lean in closer to her and whisper, "You'll make a great mom someday."

"Stop it," Kath chuckled and tried to focus on the child in her arms instead of Jesse smiling at them from the side inconspicuously.

There was little denying the fact that she had made her mark on the little family now more than ever. She just hoped the last member of the family for her to meet wouldn't drive a wedge between the bonds she had already seemed to firmly set in place.

* * *

Ranger Hunt found Detective Ochoa rather quickly as she ambled into C.D.'s Bar and rounded the corner to be immersed in a rather quiet night at the preferred haunt. Sal was occupying a barstool on the very end of the bar near the telephone, toying with a glass of whisky on the rocks that was more on the side of empty rather than full she noticed.

"What'll it be?" One of C.D.'s girls perked up with a smile as Bobbie neared the bar.

Bobbie claimed the barstool next to Sal and offered a brief smile. "Just coffee thanks."

"Coming right up." The petite girl sauntered away to grab a mug and fill it.

Ranger Hunt waited until the waitress had brought her the coffee before she finally gave in and stole a glance at Detective Ochoa. His entire focus was on the dwindling amount of liquid in the glass in front of him, his hand gently spinning the object in slow circles. It was hard for her to see Sal this way. But she didn't know why.

"Wanna talk about it?" Bobbie finally broke the silence, daring to pry through the layers of the detective's reserved nature.

Sal took a deep breath and shoved his cup aside, straightening his posture to stretch out the tension in his back. "No. I'm just thinking about my sister and nephew. They're all I have in this world, Bobbie. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to them on my watch."

"I know how you feel," Bobbie surprised herself by saying. "I almost quit the Ranger program when I thought my daughter was in jeopardy."

"You quit the Rangers?" Sal asked, his brows raised as he turned a surprised expression her way.

"Well, I wasn't a Ranger yet. It was during my testing time with Ranger Walker."

Sal smirked. "I didn't know you were picked by Ranger Walker."

"Technically the decision wasn't up to him."

"But I'm sure he influenced the decision greatly."

"Hardly!" Bobbie cracked a smile. "In fact, I think if it would have been up to him, he would have gave me the boot early on."

Sal still seemed shocked, pausing to take a sip of his whisky on that note. "Wow. I thought it was cut and dry for you."

"No," Bobbie confessed. "I had to work for it. It took me a while to have the change of heart I needed to make the cut. I was so bitter because of all the male domination that I forgot to simply chase my dreams and be a good officer. It was almost the death of my career. But thanks to Walker I got a second chance to prove myself."

"But you said you almost quit?"

"Yeah. My ex-husband threatened me and our daughter. I told Walker I was quitting the program, but he wouldn't hear of it."

Sal took a silent second to process the information. "I had no idea," he echoed. "Everyone at the precinct always had nothing but praise for you after the Matacio bust. I just assumed you had gotten an easy leg up or something."

"No," Bobbie chuckled dryly. "Far from it. I had to prove myself just like I thought I would. But not in the exact way I thought I'd have to."

"Well," Sal cleared his throat nervously, trying to sort out the jumbled thoughts in his mind. "Let me be the first to offer an apology."

"You can't be serious." Bobbie cracked a rather fake smile unsure if it was Sal or the whisky talking.

"God! You can't even take me seriously," Ochoa muttered under his breath then spoke back up, "I'm trying to say I'm sorry, Bobbie. I guess I've been a bit of a jerk lately."

Bobbie cleared her throat and looked away towards the sunset coming from the window. "I suppose that makes two of us."

"No," Sal quickly interjected. "I've been the worst." He paused to chuckle and rub his face in his hands. "Gosh, I don't even know why I'm saying all this. A day ago I was determined you were the world's worst enemy."

Bobbie turned and gave Sal a firm, emotionless glare. "And now?"

Sal fastened his eyes on hers, swallowing hard as he searched for the exact words to describe what it was he was feeling. To be completely honest, he wasn't sure just what he was feeling or thinking either way. _It must be the whisky_ , he reminded himself.

"I think you're a good Ranger, Bobbie," Sal began, slowly and purposefully not taking his eyes off of hers. "You're a good woman too. I see that now. You worked for what you wanted and wouldn't let me or any other jerk take away your chances. A man can admire that. And I'd be a fool-headed son of a gun not to acknowledge that in you, Ranger Hunt."

Bobbie's face had remained unchanged as she listened to every word Sal spoke. And she was surprised to realize by the look in his eyes that he truly meant every word of it. At least something inside of her hoped he had meant every word. Otherwise, she would have regretted the small, almost unnoticeable smile that creeped onto her face from the corner of her mouth.

Sal smiled a little too. "Does that mean I'm forgiven?"

Bobbie's chuckle was more legitimate this time. "Let's just say you have a second chance. And don't screw it up this time. Got it, Ochoa?"

Sal nodded and finished off his drink. He then shoved the glass to the side, replacing it with several files he had brought along with him. "What do you say we get started on this case?"

"Works for me," Bobbie grinned.

After several sips of coffee, Bobbie moved a bit closer to Sal to get a good look at the files he wanted to show her. It was the oddest feeling. But Bobbie knew something had changed between them. Sal seemed different. One thing she knew for sure was that the look in his eyes this time was not because of any drink's influence whatsoever.

* * *

Darkness settled over the eerily silent street side as millions of stars twinkled overhead in a cloudless sky. A gentle wind nipped at her bare arms, barely and almost subtly causing her to forget she was still in Mexico. Each slow clod of her shoe against the brick pavement brought her further away from the organized chaos she had left behind. After walking for a moment far enough to find solace but close enough to where she could still hear commotion coming from inside, Katheryn stopped and comforted herself within her own arms' grasp as she looked up at the starry sky. She couldn't help but smile before shutting her eyes and taking a deep, cleansing breath. For a split second she wondered what was going on back home. She could suddenly picture Tommy and Trent hard at work at the dojo while Molly watched with Mrs. Malloy. In her mind's eye she watched as Sydney and Gage barreled into C.D.'s ready to devour a plate of food after a hard day on the streets. She also remembered that Walker and Alex had gone away for a little camping vacation. Kath loved the entire Sandoval family but was quickly becoming envious of Walker and Alex.

Suddenly, Kath felt two strong arms wrap around her waist, drawing her into an embrace. "I was wondering where you ran off to," the voice whispered in her ear.

"Just getting some fresh air," Kath blushed, gladly allowing the embrace to warm her chilled body. "To be honest I was thinking that Alex and Walker have it made right about now."

Carlos' brow furrowed. "What do you mean? You aren't having a good time?"

"No! I am! It's not that," she fumbled with her words and wriggled from Carlos' grasp to turn around and look him in the eyes. "I just wish we could be alone."

Carlos' mouth curled up into a mischievous grin. "We're alone right now."

"Yeah," Kath began to close the gap between their lips. "So we are."

A gentle kiss nearly deepened before Katheryn stopped them, drawing away quickly.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Kath replied. "Nothing at all. I just feel like we're being watched."

Carlos turned around. There was not a soul in sight. But he understood what she meant. "Why don't we take a little walk? I'd like to show you something."

"Won't they miss us after a while?"

"No. It'll be okay. Come on!" Carlos tugged at Kath's hand.

Katheryn couldn't stop a gentle laugh from escaping her as she hurried along with Carlos pass several of the conjoined home until they came to a very narrow and rare opening between two of them. Carlos suddenly stopped and shushed her before he peered around the corner. He gave the all clear before he turned into the little alley, still lugging Katheryn along behind him.

At the end of the alley there was a wooden fence door which Carlos opened without hesitation. As they slipped through the opening, Katheryn secured the gate shut before they carried on.

Turning around, Katheryn was startled as Carlos suddenly covered her eyes with his hands, whirling her around in front of him until she was facing the opposite side of wherever they were.

"Carlos!" Katheryn laughed. "What are you doing?! What are you up to?"

"Patience," Carlos promised and instructed her to take a step forward.

Slowly, Carlos removed his hands to let Katheryn in on his little secret. A small gasp escaped her as she saw a rather large meadow in front of her. It was enclosed by a tall brick wall and had to easily be the size of an average garage if not bigger.

Carlos let her take in the sight of the flowers before he finally spoke. "Back when I was a kid and we would visit grandma and grandpa, Theresa and Hector would sneak off to here and I would follow them when they didn't know it. After a while they caught on and let me join them. And every time we'd leave, Theresa and I would get a bouquet together for mother."

"Aw that's so sweet," Kath commented. "I bet your mother loved them."

"Yeah," Carlos chuckled. "But she didn't appreciate grandma's neighbors giving her an earful about the holes we left here in her ground."

"Oh. Ouch."

Carlos then stooped low and snagged a few choice blooms, bundling them swiftly but graciously before handing them to Katheryn. She took the delicate flowers with a silent thank you on her lips before breathing them in. Suddenly, she began to regret the decision as a sneeze tempted her. But thankful it went away.

"You like them?" Carlos asked curiously.

"I love them," Kath replied, pecking a kiss on Carlos' cheek to assure him of the fact.

"What do you say we be getting back before they send the cavalry after us?"

Kath smiled. "Sure."

Carlos led the way through the short distance back to the rather tall fence and suddenly realized something wasn't quite right. The door would not budge. The latch was secured tightly, and there was no way he was going to be able to open it.

"What are we going to do now?" Katheryn sighed. "I mean I like the idea of sleeping under the stars. But this is ridiculous."

Carlos deliberated for a moment, looking over Kath's beautiful maxi dress. That eliminated his idea of climbing the fence. He looked at the brick wall with interest. Still, he knew neither of them could climb either structure without hurting themselves.

"Well," Carlos finally confessed. "Looks like we're stuck here for the night."

"What?! You can't be serious! Give me a leg up. I can climb the fence!"

"No! I won't let you. You could fall on the other side and break your neck. I won't allow it."

"Who said anything about allowing anyone to do anything?! What if I want to risk it?" Katheryn immediately started moving into place to climb over the structure.

"Kath! No!" Carlos pulled her back by her sleeve. "Don't. We'll find some other way."

Katheryn was about to argue her case further when a gunshot interrupted them. Ducking down in unison, both of their hearts began beating a little faster. Suddenly climbing a measly old fence didn't seem like that big of a deal.


	7. Part 7

**.**

* * *

 **FAMILY REUNION**

 **Chapter Seven**

* * *

"You know for two city slickers, you two sure are dumb."

"Jesse!"

"Sorry, mom," Jesse apologized, a grin slipping onto his face as he was kinged by Carlos from across the checker board almost an hour after his brush with death.

"So it was just a car backfiring. How were we supposed to know?!" Carlos cracked a crooked smile over to Katheryn, not willing to admit they had mistaken a car for a gun.

Kath meanwhile was on the brink of laughter as she helped Theresa fill coffee cups from Rosa's kitchen counter. It had not been funny whatsoever. The thought of such danger staring them down like it nearly had still sent chills up her spine. But she'd give anything to see the look on Carlos face again when he saw the taillights of the car driving away from his little makeshift peep hole in the fence that held him and Kath hostage.

"It's a good thing Mama Rosa sent Papa out to check on the noise or you two would have had to spend the night back there," Hector noted as he bounced little Sam on his knee with Carmen looking on from beside him with a smile.

"Speaking of whom," Theresa glanced around them all, her brow raised in disgust. "Where is the woman of the hour?"

"She stepped out for the fresh air," Jesse commented and frowned as Carlos waited to be kinged this time around.

"Did she go with Uncle Miguel?"

Jesse nodded solemnly and quite absentmindedly as Carlos claimed the win and laughed to celebrate his victory.

"Well, if you'll excuse me," Carlos yawned and stretched victoriously, "I'm going to get some sleep."

Theresa then instructed, "Carlos, you have the couch in here. Hector has the floor. Carmen, you and Kath are in the spare bedroom with me."

"What about me?" Jesse asked.

"Do you mind staying in here with your uncles?"

"Nah," Jesse chuckled. "Not a bit."

"Good!" Theresa grinned. "Then you won't have a problem babysitting Sam in here either to give your Aunt Carmen a break."

"Mom!" Jesse pleaded to which Theresa glared the only way a mother could. Jesse quietly returned to his task of helping Carlos put away the game for the night.

After everyone had calmed downed, said their goodnights, and dispersed to their designated sleeping areas, Theresa found herself outside getting a bit of fresh air herself. She hoped she could speak to her sister alone perhaps. Despite the front she put on in front of Carlos and his girlfriend, she really did care for her sister. Sure they had their differences. But Rosa was the oldest. And with Theresa not far from her age, it was only natural they would have vied for the place of most important in their family.

"Hola," a voice called from the shadows as it approached Theresa.

Theresa chuckled. "You startled me, Rosa."

"I'm sorry." Rosa scoffed to herself. "That's not something I said very often as a child."

Theresa simply shook her head in agreement, staying silent for the time being. She then turned to face her sister and noticed a tear streaming down her face. Rosa pushed back a stray lock of her short and curly brown hair to reveal a rather demeaning bruise beneath her left eye.

"Rosa," Theresa gasped, reaching out to cradle her sister's face in her hand. "What happened?! Are you hurt?"

Rosa sniffed hard, trying not to cry any further. She was too tired to do so anyway. "No, Theresa. I'm fine. It's Miguel I'm worried about though."

"Why? What do you mean?"

Rosa contemplated her next words carefully, watching as her sister looked into her eyes silently urging her to answer. "Carlos and his girl did not hear a car backfiring like Miguel said."

Surprised, Theresa braced herself for what Rosa was about to say.

"It was a gun like Carlos thought," Rosa continued and turned away to bury her face in her hands. She had no strength left to cry but couldn't keep it all inside any more.

Theresa took Rosa by the shoulders from behind and gave her a gentle squeeze. "What happened, Rosa? You must tell me everything. More than that, you have to tell Carlos. He can get in touch with the authorities. My God…what sort of trouble are you both in?!"

Rosa turned and sobbed into Theresa's shoulder. It was something Theresa was not used to whatsoever. They had never been close like this.

"I—I don't know what Miguel has gotten into," Rosa explained between sobs. "All I know about is that there are drug deals on these streets every day. Ever since we moved here to keep Grandma's home, this neighborhood is no longer safe to roam freely like we did as children. Eight people have been killed this year because of it. They've even been threatening us to sell and move away from here. But Miguel stood his ground. He told them he would not give in. I'm too afraid to tell mother. She will be heartbroken."

Theresa held her sister a moment longer and let her cry it out. She then drew her away and looked into her eyes. "Let's talk to them all together in the morning. We will work this out, Rosa. We will survive this as a family. You can't do it alone."

Rosa nodded numbly, unable to verbalize her agreement through her tears.

As Theresa led Rosa back to the house, she remembered distinctly that Miguel lied. Carlos and Katheryn had been in dire trouble like they had at first believed. In her heart she couldn't believe her brother-in-law would cover for some sort of drug-dealing scum. But perhaps there was more to him than had met her eye all these years. For now, she had a family to keep together come first thing in the morning.

* * *

Those four hours in C.D.'s Bar was the longest Bobbie had ever stayed in the same room with Sal Ochoa at one time in their entire existence. Surprisingly enough, it had turned out to be a rather pleasant night. C.D. was very understanding towards the two during the entire night, allowing them to stay past closing time to continue discussing the case. He even gave them some helpful tips exactly like Bobbie had hoped. She may have not told the semi-retired Ranger very often, but she admired him greatly. He was a legend whether or not he knew it or not.

When the clock had reached ten o'clock and a few pots of coffee had been exhausted, both officers quickly realized the need to call it a night. Unfortunately, they didn't feel like they had accomplished very much in their eyes. Honestly, the case still seemed to be far from resolution. But their relationship as officers was well on its way to being mended. But in between futile conversation had still come bits and pieces to the puzzle they had intended to solve together now. They had enough evidence to draw a substantial conclusion that the Trey Sevens were indeed the ones to place blame on. Although they had no witnesses, the MO used in this act of arson was very similar to that of four other acts in the past committed against members of the gang that had chosen to part ways with them. It seemed like their go-to act of vengeance. So far they had not taken any lives in the process. And each act had never produced any witnesses. Furthermore, each arson was just enough to scare each former gang member into not saying a word to the authorities. It kept them quiet and no one ever had any evidence besides hearsay to prove the Trey Sevens were the perpetrators.

As they parted ways that night, Sal and Bobbie planned to meet back up first thing in the morning at the H.O.P.E. Center to pick up Amy. From there they concluded they would go back to the scene of the crime and look for any possible shred of evidence to officially tie this crime to at least one member of the Trey Sevens. It was a long shot but one they had to try.

Pulling up the curb in front of Amy and Leon's home, Sal turned off the engine and removed the keys. Slowly he gave the rear-view mirror a glance. Amy had a tear in the corner of her eye as she saw the embers for the first time in broad daylight. He knew the sight hurt his sister and instantly regretted bringing her along. But he hoped maybe she'd be able to provide some insight into the night that she had not recalled previously.

"Are you ready?" Sal whispered, casting a sideways glance to Bobbie next to him.

Amy nodded firmly. "Yes. I am ready."

The trio walked the short driveway to the embers that made up the front portion of the house. The rest of the home felt exposed even though most of the structure had survived. Just the dining room and a portion of the kitchen was completely gone. Still it seemed like a lost cause to save the house. Sal silently admitted to himself that it would probably cost far less to rebuild or move than it would to repair. No matter what, he wouldn't let Amy go through it alone.

Sal slipped his arm around his sister and give her a squeeze as she stood before her home, its remains telling her what she was afraid to acknowledge.

Meanwhile, Bobbie proceeded forward, stepping over rubble and ashes to begin her own search for clues. This was her first visit to the scene and was quickly becoming a puzzle she wish she had never signed up to help solve. But she was here. She was determined to see this through. She simply couldn't stand the thought of breaking Amy's heart.

"Well, it doesn't look good." Bobbie bent down to sift the ashes, quickly coming to the conclusion that they were not going to find any evidence to point them in the right direction. "Looks like the bottle they used to make their little fireball out of shattered into a million pieces. Not going to get any prints from that."

Sal left Amy at the edge of the house and joined Bobbie. "Yeah. You're right." He gave the area a glance over, coming to the same conclusion as Bobbie. "Let's head back to the car." He looked over at Amy and whispered, "This was a bad idea bringing her back here. We should have come alone."

Bobbie nodded. "Don't be too hard on yourself though, Sal. You couldn't have known."

"Yeah," Sal shrugged it off. "But I'm her brother, Bobbie. Brothers are supposed to know those things." And he left in a hurry to see to Amy.

Bobbie was just about to follow Sal when something caught her eye. She turned around and searched the exposed hallway nearby only to find nothing was there. Turning back to follow Sal, she could have sworn she heard a noise and spun around again. Nothing. Again she turned to leave. And again the noise stopped her in her tracks.

"Hey, Sal!" Bobbie called out.

Sal stopped next to his unmarked police issue and turned. "Yeah?"

"Wait for me. I'm going to check one thing around back."

"Okay," Sal nodded absentmindedly, proceeding to help Amy into the car. He then stalled for a minute by his own door, watching as Bobbie traced a path around to the back of the house. As soon as she was out of his view, Sal got inside the car to wait for her.

Bobbie crept along the edge of the burnt embers that used to be a dining room and continued making her way around the house. She traced the path carefully…slowly. Her hand hovered at her sidearm the entire length of the way. Coming to the rear of the house, she immediately noticed that the backdoor was ajar and unstrapped the hook that secured her weapon inside its holster. She took each step from there with caution, the wind blowing the only sound she could hear.

CRACK! Bobbie's heart skipped a beat as she heard the crunch of a twig beneath her shoe and was startled by the sound of a pair of swiftly moving feet just inside the house. Bobbie drew her pistol and burst inside the house with only her instincts and ears to guide her. She paused once a few yards inside to notice the running had stopped. In its place was the barely detectable sound of a door closing shut.

Ranger Hunt kept her gun outstretch as she took careful steps down the hall, diverting briefly into the entrance of the first two rooms in her path to check for anyone there. Both rooms were clear. Then came the third room…Leon's bedroom she presumed by the desk in the corner of the room filled with a badges of accomplishment from Thunder Karate and his school.

A shadow shifting caught Bobbie's eye. Immediately she knew someone was in the room. Their hiding capabilities had been impeccable so far. Little did they know that I light left on inside of a closet could cast a distinguishable shadow of them beyond the closed doors.

Taking a step back to face the closet, Bobbie fixed her weapon on the door of the closet and took a deep, silent breath. "You! In the closet! I'm a Texas Ranger. Come out with your hands where I can see them!" Silence. "Now! I mean you no harm as long as you cooperate. It's up to you." Bobbie never flinched.

A minute later the closet door slowly opened, revealing what appeared to be a teenage boy beneath all the smut on his poor face.

Bobbie, although still on edge, holstered her weapon and approached the child. He seemed harmless enough.

"Hi, there. My name's Ranger Hunt. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

The boy didn't seem to want to answer. He simply stood there in front of her, his arms limp by his sides and his eyes watching the carpet with intrigue.

Bobbie took a step closer to the boy and tried searching for his eyes. "Are you alright?" she echoed. "What happened here?"

By all rules of the book, Bobbie knew she had to arrest him. He was a suspect now. Besides that, he was trespassing. But she seemed to recognize the look of hopelessness in the boy's eyes and wondered if he just had been looking for shelter or had some other good excuse for why he was hiding in someone else's home. But again Bobbie knew that was ridiculous.

"I'm going to have to ask you to come with me," Bobbie finally managed.

Despite her better judgement to cuff him and lead him back outside to the car, Bobbie wrapped her arm around him and eased him out of the room. He seemed to comply, not having to have Bobbie force him to walk. He seemed capable enough on his own. Once outside, he finally raised his head and stopped. Bobbie stopped too, turning to look at the boy. She noticed a bruise cupping his right eye and his lip which was split in two. Several fresh cuts finished off what appeared to be the aftermath of a fight.

"Let's get you to a doctor," Bobbie immediately suggested.

"No! I—I can't!" the boy startled Ranger Hunt by saying. "I mean…I can't go back. They'll kill me! They'll kill me!" The boy turned to Bobbie and began softly sobbing onto her shoulder and repeating "I can't go back" over and over.

As she cradled the boy in her arms, Bobbie finally spotted Sal who had since gotten back out of his car and was watching her. She couldn't quite read his expression. Was it anger? Approval? Sympathy? He was never an easy one to read. But it didn't matter. This boy clearly had been through some ordeal. And she was determined to find out what that was.


	8. Part 8

**.**

* * *

 **FAMILY REUNION**

 **Chapter Eight**

* * *

"Molly, I can't tell you how much I love you. I've been wanting to say it for so long now but couldn't quite convince myself to."

Trent gazed right into Molly's eyes, his hand clasped around her neck as he smiled, secured a gentle grip, and drew her lips to his. And then she awoke.

Molly rolled over, punching her blaring clock to silence before she planted her feet on the floor and made a line straight for the bathroom. She had hit the snooze button one too many times for comfort and knew she'd pay for it if she laid in bed mulling over her ridiculous dream process any more than she had to.

In thirty minutes flat, Molly was out the apartment door in route for the H.O.P.E. Center to help Josie stock donations and give the porch a good washing. They had planned it as a surprise for Alex when she and Walker returned from their weekend getaway at the lake.

As Molly rolled to a stop on the street in front of the center, she saw Trent waiting for her on the porch. He began walking down the steps to meet her as she left her car.

"Trent? What are you doing here?" she questioned him with a subtle grin.

"What?" Trent's mouth twisted upward. "I can't just drop in and say hello to the most beautiful woman in Dallas?"

Molly chuckled. "Okay, I suppose so. But I happen to know a certain PI who had a load of paper work to catch up on. At least that's what he told me after dinner the other night. Or was that just a ploy to keep me from inviting you for coffee and a movie at my place?" She winked, eagerly waiting for a reply.

Trent simply smiled, letting his gaze drift back and again. "Well, you got me. I came to ask if you might have a second to talk."

"What about exactly?"

"Will."

"Oh, I see. Have you found anything else out besides what Ranger Hunt told you yesterday?"

Trent shook his head. "I was actually wondering if maybe you've spoken to him or his guardian again. You did know he lives in your apartment building, right?"

Molly's eyes shot wide open. "No, I—I had no idea. You mean he's been right near me all this time and I had no idea?"

Trent nodded.

"I can't believe this! We could have helped him, Trent! William could be involved in something terrible, and here I could have been there for him! How could I have not known?!"

"Hey," Trent swooped in and took Molly by her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "It's not your fault, Molly. Whatever he chooses to do is no reflection on you. He's just lucky he's got someone like you in his life that cares enough."

"But he doesn't know that, Trent. I haven't even seen him at the center in days. He could be anywhere." Molly's eyes found the ground, her soul dejected at the prospect of having let a needy kid slip right through her fingers. She took a deep breath, a slight sob forming in her throat as she lifted her face back up to look at Trent. "You know, when I first started working here for Alex I was so happy to help people with Kath and Josie. But I never knew it could affect me like it has. Some of these kids that come through here need a family. I wish I could be that family for them."

"You are," Trent reassured her. "All the kids whose lives you influence can count you as family. Trust me."

"But they still go back to their broken homes and lives. I wish I could be there too. Be their mother when they don't have one."

"Molly, you can't be everything to everyone. You just have to do what you can and trust the rest to God."

"I know," Molly sighed, wiping away her tears. "It's just hard to let some of them go sometimes you know."

"Yeah, I know," Trent whispered in Molly's ear as he wrapped his arms around her. Silently, he thought how lucky he was to know this woman whose heart was so big. For a moment he didn't want to let her go but finally released her and found her eyes again. "Now what do you say we get started cleaning this porch?"

"How did you…"

"Josie told me," Trent grinned.

"But don't you…"

Trent lifted a hand to quiet her. "Not to worry. I finished the paperwork last night, and anything else will be waiting for Carlos and Kath when they get back."

Molly was finally able to laugh this time and was just beginning to feel light again when Trent's cell phone rang. Molly motioned she'd be just inside the center while Trent reached for the device and answered it. Ranger Hunt was on the other end.

"Hey, Bobbie. What's up?"

"Trent, something's come up I think you may be interested in."

"Oh?"

"William Brent. I just brought him into custody."

"I see." Trent paused to see Molly through the window. She had the biggest smile on her face as she spoke with Josie. Trent didn't want her to lose that joy he loved so much about her. "What did he do?"

"Nothing yet," Bobbie revealed, allowing Trent to relax. "But we're still sorting this out. We found him at Amy Ochoa's house. It's still considered a crime scene right now so William is a suspect. He hasn't said a word to anyone since we brought him to Ranger Headquarters. I figured you'd want to know about it."

"Yeah, thanks for letting me know. I'll let Molly know. Maybe she can talk to him."

"You think that's a good idea?"

Trent stole another glance at Molly. "I don't know. But I think Will deserves the chance."

* * *

With help from Katheryn, Theresa quickly achieved her goal of spreading word throughout the family that she wanted to speak with them all first thing in the morning. Kath was of course on her guard, questioning why Theresa was being so secretive. But she trusted her like a sister and was quick to tell Carlos before he fell asleep. After she had gone to bed, Carlos informed the guys and Theresa told Carmen and Ma Catalina.

The silence that plagued the hacienda almost drove Katheryn mad as she pushed herself fully awake and dodged to the bathroom for her chance at a shower before the others were up. Maybe it was selfish and maybe she was just lucky. Either way, she couldn't stand not knowing what Theresa called the meeting for. It scared her. Was Catalina sick? Did someone die? Was she being expelled from the clan after just two days?

As the scorching water rained down on her bare body, Katheryn let all the worries flow down the drain with the drops that cleansed her. _Worry never helped anyone_ , she reminded herself and quickly finished up and dressed before the others would need to use the bathroom. She was immensely surprised however to find Carlos awake and active in the kitchen, just about putting the finishing touches on some sort of breakfast casserole.

Carlos put the dish in the oven and set the timer on the counter before he moved to give Kath a good morning kiss. "Did you sleep well?"

Katheryn shook her head. "No, I didn't. I only got about four hours of sleep. The rest of the time I spent wondering what Theresa called a family meeting for. You don't think I'm intruding do you?"

"Hardly," Carlos smiled. "You're part of this family now. She told you about the meeting. So she clearly wants you here."

"You're right. Thanks for putting my mind at ease. You seem to have a knack for that."

Carlos responded by wrapping his arms around her and planting a kiss on her forehead. He was about to move the kiss to her lips, making the moment rather intimate when someone rounded the corner, clearing his throat. It was Jesse, and he had big smile on his face that told them he knew he had interrupted their moment yet again.

But Katheryn was light-hearted about it and laughed it off. Carlos on the other hand wanted to reprimand the lad. But Kath would not hear of it. Instead, she told Carlos to be on hand when Jesse found himself a girl. It seemed like the perfect plan for revenge although neither of them was willing to go through with the plan…that is, unless the opportunity presented itself.

Meanwhile, Jesse took a peek inside of the oven and turned to Carlos suspiciously. "Since when did you suddenly become a chef?"

"Hey, I can cook!" Carlos defended himself. "Granted, that's the only thing I know how to cook. But I can cook!"

Jesse simply laughed and proceeded into the living room where Hector was just now waking up.

"Now where were we?" Carlos cupped Kath's face in has hand, returning to their intimate moment just in time for Theresa to appear in the kitchen and interrupt their privacy once more. At least this time Carlos hoped it was unintentional.

"Mm, something sure smells good!" Theresa commented as she filled a glass with water and took a sip.

Suddenly the kitchen started to fill with other members of the family and Carlos and Katheryn's moment was officially gone.

About an hour later, Theresa rounded up the clan in the living room insisting they'd handle the dishes in a moment after they had tended to the more important business at hand.

Theresa settled onto the sofa's edge next to Kath and waited for everyone to be seated before she spoke. She could see concern in her mother's eyes, curiosity in Hector and Carmen's eyes, and intrigue in her little brother's eyes. But what pained her the most was the fear in her older sister's eyes. She had to do this for her family.

"First of all, I want to put everyone's mind at ease. No one here is sick or about to die. So you can just put that out of your minds right away."

"Well, I am glad to hear that," Catalina smiled. "Is it some other happy news?!" She winked over at her son to which Carlos chuckled and assured her he had no idea why the meeting had been called for in the first place.

"I called this meeting for Rosa," Theresa explained waving a hand towards her sister who stood arms crossed against the kitchen doorway with her husband Miguel standing behind her. "No matter what differences she and I have had over the years, we are still sisters. We will always be sisters. And when something is wrong in a sister's life, we have to help her…as a family."

"Mama?!" Carmen turned, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "What have you not told us?"

"In time, child," Rosa assured. "In good time. Your Aunt Theresa will explain everything."

Theresa paused, clearing her throat to prepare to speak. "Rosa and Miguel have been threatened by locals who are far from morally sound. Drug dealers. Killers. They have threatened them to sell this house that has belonged to the Sandoval family for years in exchange for their safety. Miguel won't give in though."

"Rosa!" Catalina's voice had turned to fire as she stood abruptly and pointed her finger in her eldest daughter's face. "I trust you to take care of this place! You told Theresa and myself that it was safe to come here. And instead you put small children and the rest of this family in jeopardy?!"

"Mama!" Rosa defended herself. "It's a family home! Should I have deprived the family from coming?! It's as much their home as it is ours!"

"But you should have warned us!"

"How could I?" Rosa was on the brink of sobbing. "How could I tell my mother that I had failed?! That I had lost the legacy? I thought at least if I was to lose it, the family would be together here one last time."

Catalina calmed herself, giving her eldest a nod of understanding. "I see. I understand. What do you and Miguel plan to do about it then?"

"We don't know," she confessed, lowering her gaze. "That is why Miguel was out last night. What you heard was not a car backfiring. It was a gunshot. Miguel is fine. They just want to scare us. They don't want to hurt us."

"That's bull!" Hector chimed in. "They'll kill you. They'll kill us all if we don't give in. That's how these gangs work." He looked to Carlos for a source of confirmation.

Carlos took advantage of the silence that followed to gather his thoughts. It was brand new information to him that he and Kath had been in serious jeopardy last night unlike they had originally thought. He gave Kath a knowing look before standing to his feet and pacing over to where Rosa stood on the brink of crying. "Rosa? Have you told the authorities?"

Rosa shook her head. "That would be the end of us for sure."

"No, it won't. Look, I know a few people that can help. You know that. Why didn't you come to me?"

"I was afraid, Carlos!" She looked into his eyes, fear penetrating through them. "I was afraid."

At that Carlos let her cry it out on his shoulder, silently devising a plan. He would need to speak with Katheryn alone if the plan was to work in any way. She was clearly an outsider in the city. Maybe that fact would come in handy after all.

* * *

The drive from the H.O.P.E. Center to Ranger Headquarters was a fairly quiet one. Molly kept her eyes fastened on the passing scenery still unable to come to terms with the fact that she not been able to help Will avoid trouble. Trent's comforting words had only held her for a short time. As soon as he had said Will was in Ranger custody, her whole world crumbled again. At the same time, she questioned herself, wondering why this young man meant so much to her. He wasn't a relative or close friend who she would typically care about.

Meanwhile, Trent couldn't forgive himself for letting Molly down. He should have come alone and let Molly stay where she was happiest. At the center. He couldn't stand seeing the sorrow in her eyes as he drove.

"Hey," Trent broke the silence while still keeping his eyes on the road. Molly turned lethargically to acknowledge him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dashed your hopes like that."

"No," Molly insisted. "It's not your fault. You needed to tell me. I don't blame you, Trent."

But Trent persisted. "I still wish I could have spared you somehow. I know how much he means to you."

"Trent," Molly tried smiling to relieve Trent of some worry. "Stop beating yourself up. I'm fine. Really. In fact, I'm just thankful to have you here with me. I don't know how I could help William without you. I need you."

Trent smiled, still not removing his steady gaze as he came to a stop a traffic light. He took the opportunity to reach for Molly's hand and give it a gentle squeeze. He looked her in the eyes to let her know he loved her, and she heard him loud and clear.

Trent and Molly arrived at the Company B office moments later to find Ranger Hunt speaking with Detective Ochoa and his sister Amy.

Molly immediately gave Amy a hug. Despite her worries about William, she still tried to keep a pulse on Amy and Leon's grave situation. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

Amy nodded. "Yes, everything is fine. My brother Sal thinks they have the young man that burned our house."

"Hold on just a minute," Ranger Hunt raised a hand. "We don't know that for sure. All we really know is that William Brent was wandering around the rubble left over. So far we don't see any ties to gang activity with him. And he's not saying a word."

"William?!" Molly uttered in shock. "Will wouldn't burn someone's home to ashes. He may be troubled in areas of his life, but he's no arsonist!"

Trent laid a hand on Molly's shoulder to calm her down. "Molly, they're just doing their job."

Molly spun on her heel to face Trent behind her. "If they wanted to do their job they would have arrested someone else."

"Molly," Ranger Hunt raised her voice to get her attention. "I assure you I have every intention of proving Mr. Brent's innocence."

"You believe he's innocent?" Molly asked, somewhat surprised at Ranger Hunt's quick assessment.

Bobbie nodded firmly, casting a glare over to Sal. "And I expect everyone involved to treat the young man with the decency he deserves. That kid was scared out of his mind. You can't honestly believe he would get in a car at night and commit a felony like that."

Sal let out a rather exasperated sigh having to agree with his colleague. "Amy, she's right. The evidence isn't very supportive of the kid's guilt. We have to keep searching."

Sal could tell by the look on Amy's face that she didn't want to believe that they had to keep searching. But she nodded anyway and complied.

Bobbie turned back to Molly and Trent. "Molly, would you mind talking to him? Maybe you can get through to him unlike we could."

"I'd love to," Molly replied quickly and moved to follow Bobbie from the room much to Sal's dismay and apprehensive glare. He couldn't believe and inexperienced outsider could do much good. But he gave in anyway.

They arrived across the hall to the first interrogation room where William was seated at the far end of the table near the window. The dark, overshadowing room seemed to match the look on the young man's face. Molly quickly saw his dejection and fear and wished she could take him home that instant. But she had to know for sure he was innocent. She had to prove it to herself and to Bobbie and Detective Ochoa. She couldn't give up on him. Not now. Not ever.

* * *

 _ **Finally back! My inspiration had waned some. But I'm excited to finish this story. This update would have been posted a day earlier had it not been for the terrible website glitch that wouldn't even allow me onto the website. But that seems to be resolved! Excited to start bringing this story to a very climatic close. Thanks as always for reading and reviewing! God Bless, 'Kath'**_


	9. Part 9

**.**

* * *

 **FAMILY REUNION**

 **Chapter Nine**

* * *

As Molly seated herself in the chair on Will's right, she set her hand on his, trying with some futile effort to comfort the boy. He jerked his hand away angrily and turned away. Molly looked up at Bobbie behind her and tried to read what she thought. She could tell Bobbie wasn't entirely confident about the boy opening up. But as Molly returned her gaze to the frightened teen, she knew she had to try to get through to him.

"Will?" Molly began in little more than a whisper. "William?" She spoke up a little louder. He didn't budge. "Will, I came to talk to as your friend. It's no different than before at the center when we would talk. What's changed?"

"Everything's changed," Will spoke, almost begrudgingly through a nearly closed mouth. "And don't call me your friend. You're the reason I'm here."

"What?" Molly questioned him, absolutely stunned at what Will had just said. How could he blame her after the bond they had established? "How could you blame me? What did I do?"

"You told them I was at Miss Amy's house!"

"I didn't, Will. I swear. I didn't even know you were there. In fact, since you mentioned it, I came to ask you why you were there. Will, honey, these people think you had something to do with Amy and Leon's house burning. They could have killed. And you're the only suspect they have. Why were you plundering through the rubble?!"

"I wasn't plundering!" Will fired back. "I was trying to help."

"Help who?"

"Miss Amy. I figured if I could find the evidence…"

"We found the source of the fire, Will," Bobbie inserted. "No way to trace it back to the person who set the fire in the first place."

Will seemed dejected. Now he was sure they would never believe him.

"Will," Molly tried again to take him by the hand. He seemed to give in this time as she continued to speak. "Tell us what you know. I know you know something. Please. If you're telling the truth that you want to help Amy, then you need to be honest with us. Maybe you can help Ranger Hunt and the others find the culprits. It's up to you, Will. You can't blame anyone else any more unless you tell the truth."

The trio sat in silence for what seemed like a long time before Will took a deep breath. Molly hoped it was a sign he was about to speak. But she was wrong. Again they waited. No more words were needed to convince him. It was Will's decision now to make.

"I—I," Will stuttered, suddenly igniting some level of hope in the two women. "It—It's the Trey Sevens. They've been trying to get me to join their gang. I told them no. But my uncle didn't believe me. We had a big fight about it. I ran away as fast as I could. Didn't even have time to say sorry to the woman I spilled coffee all over."

 _So that's who the culprit was_ , Molly thought to herself silently, recalling the dejection on her best friend's face the day she and Carlos left for their trip. At least she knew William wasn't lying to her. His story checked out. "Will, I believe you. But you have to help us out. The Rangers can't arrest an entire gang with little evidence. Do you remember any names?"

Will nodded lamely and took a shallow breath. "They call him the boss. I think his name is Ruiz. I couldn't say for sure. But he's the one who's leading the gang now. I've never met him. But the guys who tried to recruit me kept mentioning his name."

Molly gave Bobbie and nod, and Ranger Hunt turned to leave. Perhaps they had an active file on this Ruiz. If he was a new gang leader, it would be difficult to determine exactly what crimes he may have committed in the past. But it was a start. Maybe they'd get lucky.

"Will," Molly spoke as softly as she was able, reaching out a hand to touch the boy's hand again. "Everything is going to be okay. No one is going to kill you. The Trey Sevens may be a powerful gang, but we'll protect you. I promise. Trent Malloy and I will see to it."

William finally raised his head to reveal tears streaming down his cheeks. "It—it's not the gang I'm afraid of. It's my uncle. I hate living with him."

"Oh," Molly cried, stood and wrapped the young man in an embrace, giving the kid the freedom he needed to cry it out. "It's all going to be okay, William. Don't worry. It's all over now." But it was far from truly being over.

* * *

Katheryn wasn't sure why Carlos was so insistent upon talking to her privately. But she agreed and quickly found her shoes to follow him outside. As they walked for a while in silence, she could see he was thinking deeply by the creases in his forehead and most notably his silence. It wasn't like him. She was worried. It never seemed to fail no matter how much they had gone through that each time he got like this it scared her just a little.

By the time they made it to the secluded alley they have gladly left behind the night before, Carlos opened that stubborn gate to let Kath into the little meadow before he too followed behind her. But this time he was careful to leave the gate slightly ajar.

Katheryn ambled around for a brief moment before she finally spun around and gave Carlos a narrowed look. "Carlos, what's the matter? You're too quiet."

A smile tempted Carlos as he gathered his words before speaking. "I have a plan. A dangerous plan. And I need you to help me out with it."

Kath's eyes widened. "Now you're worrying me even more. You're not thinking about taking on those drug dealers alone are you?"

Carlos shook his head. "But that is tempting. No, I need you to buy the house."

Her eyes grew even wider. "Are—are kidding me?! You do realize I'm not very rich?"

"Yes, I know. But the drug dealers don't have to know that."

Katheryn continued to stare at him in shock. She wasn't sure if she could believe what she was hearing. The few clues she tossed around in her mind wasn't enough to help her makes odds or ends of any of this.

"As long as one of us members of the family owns it, they'll still want to take over. But if an outsider were to buy into the neighborhood, they'd back off for a while. They'd feel like someone was invading territory," Carlos explained.

"But wouldn't they come after me if I bought the home?"

Carlos nodded cautiously. "It's a possibility. But I'd like to think they wouldn't think they stood a chance against a big time developer."

"What?" Katheryn's mouth gaped open. "Now I'm a massive CEO?!"

"Yeah," Carlos chuckled. "You have a problem with that?!"

"I do! Especially since it's a lie. What happens when we go back home and Rosa and Miguel are still living here? They'll figure it out and hurt them for sure."

"Not if we say you let them continue to live there."

Katheryn sighed sharply and crossed her arms against her chest, pacing away from Carlos with her back to him. "Carlos, this is crazy. You know I love crazy ideas. But this is not what I usually have in mind. It's way too dangerous. This isn't just you and me undercover in some warehouse with only a couple protein bars and a broken lamp from 1950." Katheryn paused, turning around with a pleading look in her eyes. "This is your family, Carlos. If you choose to do something that risky, you're entire family is at stake. It's not just you and me here."

"I know," Carlos sighed then perked up with seemingly another idea. "Hey, I think I'm going to go make a phone call. Are you okay by yourself?"

Katheryn nearly rolled her eyes amidst the glare she gave him in response. At that, Carlos left the premises before he had another chance to stick his foot in his mouth.

Carlos was back in less than ten minutes Katheryn estimated. She had passed the time by picking flowers. It seemed like the only sensible thing to do in a little meadow. Once Carlos had returned, she noticed he was happier and less dejected. His mouth curled up into a smile and his eyebrows were raised as he spoke.

"Let's get going," Carlos greeted her by saying to which Katheryn tugged at his sleeve, preventing him from running off. "What? What's the matter?"

Katheryn chuckled. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To the police station."

"That's thirty minutes away," Katheryn reasoned.

"I know. But that's where our answers are. Let's go! I called a cab. It'll be here any second now. Come on!"

Katheryn finally succumbed to Carlos' urgency and hurried alongside him to the edge of the street. Just as she had predicted, there was no cab waiting for them yet. After making small talk with an eager Jesse as they waited, the cab finally arrived. Carlos let Katheryn get into the back of the cab before he too followed and waved a goodbye at Jesse on the side of the street. Katheryn watched from the rearview mirror by the driver's head as Jesse figure became smaller and then nothing until they were on the main road that would take them back to the city. She only hoped whatever it was Carlos had up his sleeve would work. As much as she enjoyed Mexico and the Sandoval clan, she was starting to feel a little homesick. Thankfully having Carlos with her all the time helped keep that pesky feeling at bay for most of the time.

* * *

The gentle stream of twilight sunlight pouring over the floor at Molly's feet wasn't enough to shake her blues the following day. All of the activity inside C.D.'s bar was nearly completely zoned out from her mind. In its place was regret. Will had been living right under her nose and was nowhere near happy. All this time working with him at the center had failed to reveal this to her. She could have done something to help him. But it was too late. Thankfully, Will was released into her custody pending the outcome of a brief investigation into the supposed evidence Will had shared. That, and the judge would be reopening William's custody case. The boy seemed to have plenty of emotion and even physical evidence that this was necessary. And for this Molly was thankful.

Now, sitting across from Trent in the booth in the corner of the country bar, Molly wondered what was next.

Trent steadily sipped on his coffee, watching Molly's mind reel with thoughts. He sensed she was so far away from him and reached a hand to touch her. She jumped slightly beneath his touch but flashed a smile to hide the fact. "Molly, are you okay?"

Molly nodded lamely. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't know what to expect now. Bobbie and Detective Ochoa are looking into the evidence Will shared. Hopefully they call with some news soon."

"You know, I'm glad those two are getting along better these days," Trent commented.

"Yeah. They seem to be working together nicely now that they have a common goal."

"Speaking of common goals," Trent posed. "How did those photos turn out?"

Molly's smile lagged. "I haven't had a chance to get them developed."

"You need some help?"

Molly shook her head. "No. I highly doubt they'll be needed soon anyways."

"What makes you say that?"

"Kath called last night after you took me home."

"Oh?"

"There's been a little trouble." Trent's eyes seemed to urge her to explain further. "First of all, they're in Mexico."

"Mexico?!" Trent's eyes shot open in shock. "What the heck are they doing down there?"

"Carlos wanted to surprise Katheryn with a visit to see his family…and his mom."

Trent flashed a grin. "Oh, I see. Makes sense. If that's the case you better put a rush on those photos. Carlos will be needing them sooner."

"Maybe you're right," Molly replied, her voice inflecting higher with the revelation of the matter. But her smile faded fast. "I still don't think it's as important as what they're dealing with."

"What's up?"

"Drug dealers and what not. Carlos' older sister Rosa has been living in the family home that used to belong to their mother. Gangs are moving in and threatening residents to the point of being afraid to stay there. Carlos and Kath are currently hatching a plan to convince the criminals otherwise."

"Well, I hope they know what they're doing."

"Trent, Carlos and Kath are two of the most capable people out there. You know that."

"Yeah, I know. But it's one thing when they're handling a case on their own here. It's another when they're in another country entirely."

Molly's frowned signaled her agreement. Now she was a bit more concerned for them then when she had previously spoken to Kath. Silently, she let out a prayer for them and then took a sip of her stagnant coffee. Cringing, Molly pushed the cup away and stood. "I think I'll head on home now."

Trent stifled a laugh. "Is it the coffee? I can get you a fresh cup."

"No," Molly grinned. "I just think I'd like to go home. I'm tired."

"Sure thing."

Trent then insisted he be the one to drive Molly home. But she turned him down gently with a kiss and promise to call when she was home. Trent reluctantly surrendered and parted ways with Molly at the entrance of their favorite dive, him taking his Stingray while Molly made a trail to her own car. She knew Trent would watch her subtly until she had driven safely away and was sure to give him a smile as she drove past him and away from the stockyards.

Once Molly arrived at her and Kath's shared apartment, she locked her car and headed inside thankfully the air conditioning in the building had been fixed, Molly noted by the chills that surged onto her arm as she found the elevator and boarded it. The doors closed and the device began lifting; but it stopped on the second floor. As the doors opened, a middle-aged man donned a smile and entered, settling in for the ride next to Molly. Both of their eyes stayed fastened on the doors as they closed.

Before the number had a chance to change, the man lunged forward and activated the emergency shutdown. Molly screamed as the entire cage went black, a small flicker of emergency lighting flashing on in time for her to see the man coming for her. He grabbed her by the arm and slapped his hand around her face. Molly couldn't see nor scream but resisted as hard as she could. But it was no use. Calming down, she could hear her heart beating in her chest at record speed, the man's hot breath beating against her cheek with threats for her to calm down or he would see to it that she never was able to scream for help again.

The man proceeded to tie her hands behind her back with some cheap rope and taped her mouth over with duct tape before he reactivated the elevator and it began rising once again. But he didn't let it stay at the third floor and quickly pressed the number two quickly followed by the closing doors. He then scanned the short hall before jerking Molly along with him onto the floor and nearly dragging her to what she assumed was his room.

Once inside, the vicious mystery man tied her even further to a kitchen chair that had already been placed in the middle of the rather bare living room. It seemed as if he had been prepared. The windows were drawn. Few lights were on except those nearest the chair. Another chair was nearby and seemed like some sort of interrogation set up. Molly only prayed it didn't double as a torture area either.

After retreating to another room briefly, the man returned and straddled the chair next to Molly, his legs close enough that he brushed up against her as he sat down. The newly-present Smith and Wesson in his hand didn't make matters any better. In fact, it made Molly's skin crawl. What did he have planned? Was his plan to kill her? But why? She didn't even know who the man was!

"So," the man spoke, his voice full of charge and a flair of anger. "You're planning to take him away from me, huh? My own flesh and blood!"

Molly groaned and grunted, the tape over her mouth preventing her from being able to defend herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the man retorted sarcastically and reached to strip the piece from Molly's face. She cried out in pain and then fell quiet, looking away to gather her own composure. "Now where were we? Oh, yes! My nephew. What have you done to him?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."

The man sprung from his chair and grabbed Molly's face by her chin, shoving her head back. "Yes, you know everything!"

Molly's cries barely escaped her mouth, tears streaming down her face when they could.

"Now," he continued in a vicious whisper. "What do you know?"

"Please," she pleaded. "Please don't hurt me."

His grip loosened. "Then tell me what I want to know. Will. What have you done to him?"

Molly took a deep breath, trying her best not to cry anymore. "He's safe…now that he's away from you." Her face seared with pain as the back of a hand struck against the delicate skin of her cheek. She shriveled up inside with fear, hoping that was the worst of what she would have to experience here.

It was all beginning to make sense now. Will's fear. The secrecy about where he lived. The reason why Molly never knew he lived here. Frankly, if Molly had been in Will's shoes, she would have done the same thing. But thankfully, Will had found a way out. And Molly wasn't going to jeopardize him any longer…no matter what she had to endure to keep him safe.


	10. Part 10

**.**

* * *

 **FAMILY REUNION**

 **Chapter Ten**

* * *

After far too long at the police station in Mexico City, Katheryn and Carlos were finally on their way back to the hotel. There they planned to call Theresa and let her know that they would not be coming back for the night. It was getting late, and the couple needed their rest. Also, it seemed that Carlos' call had paid off. Walker was back in town after having his weekend vacation with Alex interrupted. But he was glad to help and said he would phone his good friend Jesse as soon as possible. If all went according to plan, Jesse would be in contact with them first thing tomorrow morning to initiate the plan.

"I'm so tired," Katheryn managed to speak through a yawn as they waited for the elevator to lift them to their floor. She glanced at her watch. "It's only six o'clock though. I have some snacks in my room. I'll just nibble on them and then go to sleep. What about you?"

Carlos shrugged as the doors slid open. "I guess I'll do the same." He waited politely for Kath to exit before following. Suddenly it occurred to him that they might be in more danger than he had at first anticipated. "Kath," he stopped her short in the hall with a hand on her arm. He hesitated. "Maybe we should stay in one room tonight."

Katheryn thought about his proposal for a moment. "You might be right." But then she cracked a smile. "This isn't just an excuse for you to spend more time alone with me is it?"

Carlos' mouth curved up into a mischievous grin, his eyebrows rising with emphasis that he couldn't hide. But he forced the expression away. "No. I promise you it has nothing to do with that."

"Okay," Kath surrendered and began walking again. "If you say so." But Katheryn knew better. She did realize Carlos was only looking after her. And he was right. They really didn't know what they were getting themselves into here. They assumed the said criminals wouldn't track them down. It was highly unlikely. But since neither of them knew just who all was involved, it was best if they had each other's back for the time being.

"So," Carlos interrupted her thoughts. "Your room or mine?"

"I have snacks."

"Then it's settled then."

"But isn't there a better view of the street from your room?"

"How do you know that? You haven't been in my room."

"Just answer the question."

"Yes," Carlos confessed. "You're right. There's a good view." He stalled. "But you have snacks."

Katheryn let a snort slip away through her laughter as they turned down the hall that led to her room. "Maybe we can stay part of the night in my room and the rest in yours."

"Okay. That's fair I guess."

"But I could just bring my snacks to your room."

Carlos shrugged. "That works too."

Katheryn wanted to kiss him for being so naïve and cute but she held herself in check, reaching to unlock her hotel room and turn on the light. A gasp slipped away as her eyes adjusted in utter shock to see her room in shambles. The lamp was overturned, the bulb shattered into a hundred pieces. The bed covers were disheveled and her suitcase sprawled open as if someone had been desperately searching for something.

A cry locked up tightly in her throat as Kath looked at Carlos. "Who did this?"

"I don't know," Carlos wrapped an arm snuggly around his girl. "But you're definitely staying with me tonight."

* * *

Trent paced to the phone in his father's old study and then away again for the tenth time in half an hour as Tandy watched from the mahogany stairs of the Malloy home. She held a doll on her lap, the specimen clearly learning ballet from her master with each twirl of her delicate finger as the little girl in charge watched her older brother secretly from a distance.

Finally, Tandy set her doll down very gingerly on the steps and stood, ambling over to the opening of the study in time to see Trent stroll out without even seeing her there. He was headed for the kitchen through the dining room. And Tandy was on his heels.

"Trent!" she scurried to keep up with him. "Trent!"

Trent finally stopped at the cupboard and got a glass to fill with some water before he turned breathlessly to his little sister. "Yes, Tandy?"

"What's the matter?" she asked, concern in her childish eyes.

"Nothing," Trent forced a smile. "Somebody just promised to call me and hasn't yet."

"You're worried aren't you?"

Trent shook his head. "No, I'm sure there's a good reason they haven't called."

"Why who hasn't called?" Tommy bounded into the room, a cheeriness in his countenance that Trent was by no means prepared for.

"Trent was expecting somebody to call," Tandy explained proudly.

"Oh? Who?" Tommy asked but then raised a hand. "I know. Molly. Right?" He grinned, quite satisfied with himself.

Trent took a sip of water and simply left the room in an aggravated silence. Tommy and Tandy followed close behind to see if Trent would give them any confirmation that Tommy was right. But he never did. He went back into the study and slid the doors shut behind him before Tommy and Tandy reached them.

"Trent! Come on! We're sorry for teasing you!" Tommy pleaded. But no answer came. "Trent?! I'm sure she'll call back soon. Don't worry." He finally heard some movement inside but didn't hear his brother's voice. "Tandy and I'll be upstairs. We're sorry, Trent," he echoed. Waiting another minute longer, Tommy gave up and led Tandy away from the door and to the stairs.

Tandy noticed her doll, and perking up took it quickly and ran back to the study to set it down on the floor. "Trent? I left my doll here for you to keep you company." With that she ran back up the stairs to catch up with Tommy, glancing once over her shoulder to see if the doors would open. But they didn't.

In the study, Trent sat on the couch leaning over with his head in his hands for what felt longer than ten seconds before he reached for the nearby phone again. But he couldn't bring himself to dial her number. Surely he was overreacting. She would call when she could. She probably just got caught up in a little traffic headed home. Or better yet Katheryn probably called her and they were still chatting away about whatever was going on with her and Carlos in Mexico. Trent was tempted to forget it all and head upstairs to sleep. But he couldn't. He finally gave in and dialed her number. It went straight to their answering machine. This meant she was not on the phone and was nowhere near her phone. He then called Bobbie, Josie, and Amy to ask if they had heard from Molly. Nothing.

It had not happened often. But sometimes Trent had a gut feeling he just couldn't shake. Walker was all too familiar with this phenomenon and helped put his mind at ease about it. It was a gift and not something to take lightly. With that said, Trent headed upstairs and set a gentle knock on Tommy's door.

Tommy opened the door eagerly. "Yeah? What's up?"

"Um, I called Molly and Kath's apartment. No one picked up. I'm thinking about going over there and making sure she's okay."

Tommy pushed aside the vain thought that he was right after all. He wasn't going to gloat. After all, Trent was worried sick about Molly. "You want help?"

"No. You stay here with Tandy and Tyler since mom is at the church helping Roscoe and Adam tonight."

"Okay. Look out for yourself."

"I will," Trent threw over his shoulder with a haphazard grin.

"Trent!" Tandy yelled as she slipped by Tommy and met Trent at the top of the stairs. "Take dolly with you! She'll keep you safe."

Trent smiled and stooped down to give his sister a hug. "Thanks. I'm sure I won't need her though. Nothing bad is going to happen."

"Will you take her anyways? Just in case."

"Okay. I will." He kissed her on the forehead and proceeded downstairs, pausing to pick up dolly on the way.

It felt slightly odd riding through Dallas with a doll in the passenger seat of his prized Corvette. But it was worth it to see how much Tandy cared about him. He also resolved to give the little gem to Molly in Tandy's stead to make his sister feel that much more appreciated. But as he turned into the parking lot of Molly and Kath's apartment building, he quickly located the window of their apartment and noticed it was dark. His heart sank. Had she ignored him and simply gone to bed? In some odd way he hoped that was the case and not what he feared the most. Yet he readied himself mentally just in case. The thought that he had let something happen to her filled him with enough courage to face whatever lay ahead.

* * *

Once everything was said and done, it wouldn't have mattered to Carlos if it had been Kath's room that had been ransacked or his. The thought that anyone was after them for any reason sent a chill up his spine that he couldn't quite shake. As he stood at the window of his hotel room taking turns watching the sunrise and then Katheryn asleep in his bed, he suddenly felt homesick and wondered if Katheryn was feeling the same way. She was so peaceful now, he noted, observing the way she had the covers all bundled in her hands beneath her chin. Her hair was a bit frizzled out of the braid she had made the night before. But it didn't matter. She was still beautiful…more beautiful than the orange hues that had begun to blanket the street below them.

Taking one last look at Kath, he crossed over to the bed to wake her. He didn't want to but knew they had a long day ahead of them. Walker's friend Jesse would be calling on them sometime before noon. They best be prepared for whatever could happen even before that.

"Hey, there," Carlos whispered as Kath stirred. He wanted to reach out and brush back a lock of her hair but held himself in check. "How did you sleep?"

Katheryn stretched hard and yawned herself awake. "Oh, I slept well. Funny thing. I think your bed is softer than mine was."

Carlos cocked his head back. "Really? I figured it looked like the same bed."

"Then maybe it was the company," Kath winked and scooted out from under the covers to plant her feet on the floor. She rubbed her face in her hands and yawned some more, rubbing a crick out of her neck before she motioned that she would be in the bathroom getting ready.

Carlos had to smile. He knew very well Kath was not a morning person. But she seemed to love the new life of the morning. He had the feeling that if the morning atmosphere could take place sometime after lunch then she'd be ecstatic.

Carlos could still hear the shower going in the adjacent bathroom when the phone rang by his bed. He grabbed the device as quickly as he could get to it. "Hello?"

"This is Jesse Rodriguez," the voice on the other end began. "I believe Ranger Cordell Walker spoke to you about me."

"Yes," Carlos beamed. "Yes, he did. Thank you for calling. We aren't really sure who to trust right now. But I'd trust Walker with my life."

"I would too. He said you are not alone. Is this correct?"

"Yes, my girlfriend Katheryn Beaumont and I are together."

The voice hesitated. "Those drug dealers are no business for a young woman. She should be protected."

"It's okay. Although I completely agree with you she'll tell you she wants to be a part. She's a licensed private investigator and has been trained in karate by Walker's best student and my best friend. You won't find a stronger woman around."

"That's good. I just arrived in Mexico City this morning. I was pulled off a case to handle your problem personally. But I don't want to discuss the details over the phone. I'd like to meet in person in about an hour if you two can manage that."

"Yes," Carlos replied eagerly. "We can do that."

By the time Carlos had confirmed a meeting place, Katheryn had finished her shower, ambling out from the bathroom in a pair of jeans and a paisley red and black blouse. Her hair was still soaking wet and tousled about her shoulders as she ran a towel through it.

"Was that him?" Katheryn questioned to which Carlos nodded and proceeded to explain their plans. Without hesitation she grabbed a hair tie and secured her wet hair in a ponytail and motioned to Carlos that she was ready. Makeup would have to wait, she mentioned fleetingly, tucking a compact and lip balm in her pocket just in case.

* * *

KNOCK KNOCK! TAP! TAP!

"Hey! Mister! You all right in there?!"

Trent could feel a sharp throb in his neck as he slowly let his eyes flutter open to find out where that noise was coming from. Instantly, a chill made him shiver and come awake. But he suddenly wasn't warm. He turned to see a lady in her forties with hair disheveled and at least one tooth missing glaring at him through his Corvette's closed and locked window. He noticed her tattered clothes and less than admirable hygiene right away as he opened the door and stepped outside into the morning.

"Yes? Can I help you?" he managed through the grogginess.

"Well, geez, son! I was wondering that about you!" the homeless woman noted with a smile and touch of sarcasm. "I find you here all night in your fancy car just sleeping the night away. Figure you got turned out by a girl or something when I first came by last night. Then I come by this morning and you're still passed out. Thought you might be dead."

Trent couldn't help but smile. "I'm sorry if I worried you. But I'm okay."

"So was I right?" She was still very perky. "Was it a girl?"

Trent hesitated to nod. "Yes. In a way."

"Ha!" she clapped. "I knew it!"

Chuckling, Trent reached for a photo of Molly he had in his shirt pocket and showed it to the lady. "Have you seen her, ma'am?"

"Ma'am," she snorted. "Ain't been called that since I was a teacher many years ago. Just call me Suzy. Everyone else does."

"Sure thing, Suzy," Trent smiled still waiting for an answer about Molly's picture.

"Let's see," Suzy squinted over the photo. "Yep. I saw her, sonny. In fact, she came out of that same apartment you came out of last night not half an hour ago."

"Where did she go?" Trent asked desperately. "Well, son, I hate to break it to you. But she was with another man. A good-looking man too. Not that you're not handsome. You're rather nice. But he was definitely a treat if you know what I mean. A bit old for her though now that I think about it."

Trent surprised himself by grabbing hold of the woman's shoulders. "Please! Tell me where they went."

Suzy was shocked. She fell silent as she noted the anger in Trent's eyes and took a step back. "I—I don't know really. They headed down that back alley behind that dumpster there. That's all I know. I didn't think nothing about it."

Trent let go and rubbed a hand across his face. "I'm sorry, Suzy. I truly am. But it's not what you think. That young woman could be hurt."

"Or just with another fella."

"No," Trent defended sharply. "She's not that kind of girl."

"If you say so."

"I do. And I would appreciate it greatly if you'd agree to come with to the police station."

"Whatever for?!"

"A police sketch of the man you saw. It may help us find Molly."

"Molly," Suzy smiled. "So that's the pretty girl's name."

"So?" Trent urged. "Will you do it?"

Suzy hesitated for a moment, drifting in and out of her thoughts before she finally agreed and let Trent help her into his car. Trent realized this woman might be his only hope of finding Molly alive. He only prayed she was a bit more trustworthy than she seemed.


	11. Part 11

**.**

* * *

 **FAMILY REUNION**

 **Chapter Eleven**

* * *

Maybe it was the smell of the place. Or maybe it was the way the storekeeper stared her down. Either way, Katheryn was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the current conditions she found herself in. Thankfully, Carlos wasn't far away. Still, the looks she received from the few males in the room was too odd for her comfort level.

Katheryn took a step out of the open doorway onto the sidewalk to feel the wind against her face. This usually made her feel a bit better. And it seemed to do the trick. She had only closed her eyes to take a deep breath when she gasped as a hand grabbed at her arm. Her eyes flew open, and she was ready to launch her attack when she saw Carlos smiling over her.

"Don't startled me like that," she smiled.

Carlos grinned. "You seem jumpy."

"Yes! I am." She shot a glance inside the store. "Lots of unsavory types in here. I wish we could go home." Kath rubbed at the back of her neck and watched Carlos as he glanced at his watch eagerly and turned back to face the busy street. "Do you think he'll show?"

"Yeah," Carlos replied between nods. "The shopkeeper next door gave me an earful about the drug dealers we're dealing with. All I wanted was a pack of gum. But I got some information with it."

"That's good. What kind of information?"

"Mostly similar stories to what we're dealing with. Intimidation tactics. Turf wars. That sort of thing."

"Get any names?"

"Nope."

Suddenly from across the street, a man who appeared to be in his forties with short, curly black hair and an outfit made up of scuffed blue jeans and tattered t-shirt tried to make eye contact with them. Carlos and Kath looked at each other strangely before realizing it was him.

Carlos was the first one to step forward and cross the street. "Stay here," he whispered and proceeded to jog gently away.

Katheryn watched attentively, quickly shrugging off Carlos' overprotective nature as she watched him and the stranger speak. Within seconds Carlos was waving her over.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have time for formalities," Jesse Rodriguez greeted her curtly. "I wish we had more time. There are federales gathering just outside of the city just in case our plan goes wrong for any reason. Miss Beaumont, I'll need you to come with me to set up our trap. Carlos, I'd like you to go back to your family's home. Wait for us there. I wish I had time to explain everything. But you must trust me." He lingered as if waiting for them to give their approval.

Both Carlos and Katheryn were quick to comply. Yet Kath suddenly felt uneasy. She had not expected that she would have to leave Carlos. She was independent and wasn't reliant on him of course. But she didn't want to do this without him. Still, she brushed off the silly notion and give him a quick goodbye hug and a whisper that she'd see him later before Jesse whisked her away down the street.

Not a quarter of a mile away, there was a large delivery truck parked on the edge of the street. Jesse indicated for her to meet him behind the vehicle at which point he opened the door for her to climb aboard.

As Katheryn's eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness, she saw two other men. Both men were currently speaking fluent Spanish into their headsets, communicating to some other party on the other end. She also noticed how their equipment seemed to be older than what she had seen used back home. But if it did the job she really didn't care if it was ham radio from half a century ago.

"Miss Beaumont," Jesse waved his hand at an empty makeshift bench made up of wooden crates. "I am sorry the accommodations aren't as homey."

"Oh, no. It's fine," Katheryn reassured him with a smile. "We have a job to do. That's the most important thing here. Not comfort."

"You are very wise," Jesse grinned and sat down next to her. He reached for a map nearby and began pointing out various locations to Katheryn. "This is where we are. Here is the Sandoval home. We have reason to believe the drug dealers who have been threatening families hangs out around here." He slid his finger across the map. "We currently have one of our own in that gang. He has planned a rendezvous for you with them here."

Katheryn zeroed in on the place Jesse had pointed to. It looked quit remote.

"You will most likely not be speaking to the leader of the gang. Too risky," Jesse explained further. "They know an investor wants to work out a deal with them to sell the property and split the profits. You are the liaison. You aren't a local. They will believe your story more easily. When you meet, you will explain to them that you plan to buy most of the villages and homes they control. When he becomes angry, you'll tell him you want them to be your muscle. Continue to pressure families to move away so that you can buy out their properties. When they ask if you'll pay them, you'll refuse to answer."

"That sounds risky."

"I know. We hope they'll want to move on though. Pick a better place where they'll receive more profit."

"I hope this plan works."

"I hope so too. I can't say I like the plan entirely. But my bosses say it will work. I can't argue with them."

Katheryn laughed lightly…almost inaudibly as she turned away to watch the other men at work. Secretly, it was her way of gathering her thoughts and maintaining her composure. She didn't like this plan at all. She was relieved Jesse didn't like the plan either. They would be playing right into the dealers' hands. It wasn't safe. It wasn't safe at all.

These thought kept pounding away in her mind until she finally blurted out, "I can't go through with this."

"I understand," Jesse was quick to reply. "I don't want you to either. But we have to at least try. Otherwise they'll keep terrorizing families…your family."

"They're not my family. At least they're not my family yet."

Jesse seemed to hesitate. "Carlos told me about you. You are a fearless woman."

Katheryn chuckled. "Fearless? Hardly." She rolled her eyes away, a sarcasm-laced grin still gracing her face.

Jesse bowed his head in thought, knowing the girl was right about everything she said. Then he raised his head, suddenly remembering something. "Carlos told me something else." Katheryn slowly turned to read sincerity in the man's eyes. "He said I would never find a stronger woman anywhere. And I don't think he was talking about just physical strength either."

Silence hung between them as Katheryn considered his words to herself. She couldn't get passed the fact that Carlos had said these words about her. She knew he believed it; but to hear him say it again struck a chord inside of her. This plan was a risk. A very dangerous risk. It might work. And then again she could be putting her own life in jeopardy.

Katheryn continued to dwell in her thoughts and gently closed her eyes to take a deep breath. When she did so, hundreds of images seem to flash in her mind in such a short window of time. Carlos' face. Molly's smile. Trent's laugh. Tandy's warm embrace. Walker's encouraging spirit. Alex's love. Trivette's sarcasm. C.D.'s grandfatherly ways. Butch's hospitality.

She smiled. It was soft and gentle…affirming. Then letting her eyes flutter open, she turned to Jesse with a resolute nod and open her mouth to speak.

"I'll do it."

* * *

Suzy's help with the creation of a police drawing depiction of Molly's captor finally confirmed what Trent had feared. A brief moment with William back in the interrogation room revealed that the man was indeed Will's guardian and uncle. The boy was clearly disturbed by the image, immediately beginning to cry softly as he relived the horrors of being forced to live with the same man.

Trent didn't waste another moment, storming out of the interrogation room and into the hall past Ranger Headquarters. He was nearly to the elevator, slamming his hand against the down button when Bobbie caught up to him.

"Trent! You can't go after him by yourself!"

Trent ignored her, impatiently watching the numbers tick away above him.

"Trent, let's get a task force together on Captain Briscoe's command. I know you want to help her, Trent. Let's do this the right way." She waited but received no reply. The elevator doors opened and a few people filed out and in. But Trent didn't move as the doors closed. Bobbie still faced his back as she held the silence between them. "You know I would do the same thing if I were in your shoes. But I'd also hope someone was there to force some sense into my hard head."

Trent finally turned around to face her. "Then what are we waiting for?"

"I'll get my coat," Bobbie winked and hurried away to fulfill her coded message.

* * *

Katheryn had waited for as long as Jesse would allow for their operation, pacing in front of an old stucco well in a well-preserved historic part of the outskirts of the city when the call finally came. The operation was no longer necessary. As soon as Jesse had recalled her back to the truck which was hidden a ways from the meeting location, she saw on Jesse's face a look she instantly did not like. Something had happened. She knew it in her gut before he even had to say a word.

Jesse seemed to see her questions written all over her face. "I'm sorry. But the gang found out who we planted in their circle. We just received word that they killed him and are on their way to take over several villages for good. I'm sorry. The best we can do is get your…Carlos' family to safety. We must hurry."

Katheryn's voice locked up in her throat. She wasn't sure what to say through the shock that seized her. She almost didn't even feel the truck moving as they made their way across town. All she could picture in her mind was Carlos' family murdered brutally in the streets and her not being there to help save them. It was an arrogant thought she knew. Surely she wouldn't save them on her own. But she knew if given the chance she would try.

The next half hour was the longest of her life. But Katheryn was finally relieved to see Carlos waiting for her when she disembarked and flew straight into his arms. "Is everything okay? Your family?"

"We're all fine," Carlos consoled, holding her face gently in his hands. He let go long enough to speak to Jesse before he took her by the hand and led her inside.

All of the Sandoval clan was gathered in the living room with suitcases packed by their sides. Katheryn could tell that many tears had already been shed. She looked up in time to make eye contact with Theresa who gave her a crooked smile, wiping away a tear as she did so.

It was Jesse Rodriguez's entrance that stole the silence. "I must speak with Rosa."

Rosa stood and smooth out her skirts. "Whatever you have to say can be said in front of my family, Jesse."

At that Jesse opened his mouth to speak. But the words weren't there. Katheryn wondered what was so hard for him to say as he struggled to talk. But he finally took a deep breath and spoke. "Rosa, it's your husband Miguel. He's dead."

Rosa nearly collapsed had Mama Catalina not caught her by the arm. Her tears flowed freely on Catalina's welcome shoulder as the older woman held her grieving daughter.

"He didn't want you to know, Rosa," Jesse dared to continue. "He was the one we planted in the drug dealers' circle to infiltrate it. But they found out. I—I'm so sorry. I know we should have never called on him to help us after he left the force. But he wanted to help. He wanted to do something for your family. He thought this was the best way. And he paid for it dearly. I'm sorry, Rosa."

Katheryn looked at Carlos. She could see the shock in his eyes. They all thought Miguel was up to no good. But they were wrong. In fact, he was probably the bravest of them all.

"Rosa," Theresa stepped forward to embrace her sister. They looked into each other's eyes to communicate what only a look could. Words were not enough to tell her estranged sister how much she truly cared. "Come home with us. Jesse and I could use the company. There's a spare bedroom full of clutter that's not being used. It's yours if you want it. This home means nothing to keep if it means losing the ones we love."

"She's right," Catalina chimed in. "I would rather lose this home than see our family grow apart. It's just a brick building. You, my children, are what make it a home."

It was Carlos this time who reached to wrap his two sisters in his arms. "I know I'm just the little brother here. But I agree."

"Oh, we love you too, Carlos," Rosa finally smiled. "Theresa, thank you. I'd love to come to Dallas with you guys. But…" She broke away from the hug. "What about you, Mama? What will you do?"

"Oh, don't worry about me!" Catalina grinned broadly. "I've been wanting to do some traveling. See the world some. I'll come home when I'm good and ready."

"To Dallas?" Carlos posed.

"Yes," she nodded knowingly. "After all, I wouldn't want to miss anything between you two." She split her gaze between Carlos and Katheryn with a wink and crossed the room to give Katheryn a hug, whispering in her ear, "Take good care of him, young Catalina."

"I will," Kath whispered back, realizing the significance of their names. "You take care of yourself."

Jesse Rodriguez stepped forward with a lift of his hand. "I hate to break this up, but we don't have much time."

"He's right," Carlos agreed. "Let's get going. We've got a plane home to catch."

* * *

The quietness was almost unbearable. The sound of the nearby interstate barely filtering in and taunting the pin-drop silence of Thunder Investigations. Normally Trent liked the peace. But today it was a horror to him. The silence was a fertile ground for his thoughts to go where they should never go. Worry plagued him as he imagined what Molly could be going through what right now…what she had already gone through.

Trent was tempted to turn around and leave but chose to stay, making his way into his office. He quickly notice a small stack of mail that Butch had left for them. Right on top was a package from the photo developers he used. There was a note on top from Butch.

 _Your friend Andy from the photo place dropped this off for you. I told him I'd see that you got it right away. Hope you're doing okay. I'll be out of town for the afternoon. But I'm always a phone call away. Butch._

Immediately remembering what was inside the package, Trent took his time slitting open the envelope as he circled the desk and sat down. He bent forward as he removed the stack of photos and fanned them out on his desk. Each one seemed to punch him in the gut as it transported him back to a couple days ago when Molly had taken them. She was right. The water gardens were beautiful. But not as beautiful as the girl who had photographed them.

Trent almost stuffed the pictures in his draw and left but held himself in check when something in the photos caught his eyes. Narrowing his focus on the third photo, he seemed to recognize the man in the picture. He resembled the guy who had kidnapped Molly almost identically.

Not hesitating, Trent grabbed his phone and dialed Ranger Headquarters. "Ranger Hunt, please." He waited until he heard the lady Ranger's voice. "Bobbie, I think I may have something. I think our man was stalking Molly before he kidnapped her. It was definitely premeditated."

"Yeah, I think you're right. Will told us he talked about Molly a lot. Trent, meet us at Molly's apartment. We got a warrant to search his apartment."

"That's great. I'll meet you there."

* * *

"Don't do this!" A tearful William Brent stepped into view of his uncle. He had Molly bound tightly in his grasp, as they maneuvered the water gardens with Will looking at them from above and a pistol shoved into Molly's side. "She's a nice lady! She helped me when you didn't give a damn!"

Already, a small crowd of people gathered behind the teenager, gasps and urges for someone to call 911 echoing around them. The man was deranged. Clearly he didn't have a snowball's chance of successfully committing a murder and getting away with it. There were too many witnesses. Or maybe in some kind of twisted logic that was exactly what he wanted.

"I'll kill you all if I have to!" he shouted, shoving the pistol deeper into Molly's back and causing her to cringe beneath the pain. "No one can stop me!" And he started forward again, dragging Molly helplessly along.

Moments later the Dallas police arrived, their weapons raised as they took shelter behind their vehicles. One of the officers had a megaphone raised demanding the hostage be released.

"Don't do this!" Will echoed through his tears. "She never did anything to you!"

"Yes, she did! She brainwashed you into turning against me. They had to suffer. All of you H.O.P.E. Center freaks!"

"You?! It was you that started the fire to Miss Amy's house?!"

"Yeah!"

"Son," a detective laid a hand on Will's shoulder. "Let us handle this from here. You've done all you can do."

Will contemplated for a moment before he stepped back with hesitation. He felt as if he owed it to Molly to save her life. After all, she saved his before.

"Put the gun down!" A zealous officer shouted. "Surrender, or we will shoot!"

In response, Will's uncle grabbed Molly and shifted her to use her as the perfect shield before he attempted his futile escape, firing his weapon at will along the way. When he saw that he was surrounded on all sides of the water gardens, he threw Molly forward, her body thudding against the ground as he took aim at her. The cops stood down cautiously, fearing they might hurt the woman.

"Now let me go free!"

Meanwhile, Will was secretly circumnavigating the gardens, hoping to get a better angle of attack if he could possibly dive in to save Molly. Just as he came to a stop, he heard the cock of the gun in his uncle's hand. He knew what he had to do.

"No!" Will shouted, diving forward and into the line of his uncle's fire. The bullets behind them struck the grown man while Will lie helpless on the concrete blocks, his blood trickling from his body and into the rivers of water around him.

"Will!" Molly crouched over him as she watched him slowly slip away. "Will! Hang in there, buddy! An ambulance is coming! Don't you die! Not now!"

But William Brent had left his body before she could finish saying a word. She felt his hand fall limp in her grasp. She refused to believe it. He was only unconscious, she lied to herself. But deep down, she knew the truth. And the truth tore her open by the second.

* * *

Trent and Bobbie arrived to a much distorted world that was Michael Brent's apartment. On the living room wall was a mural of newspaper clippings, photographs, maps, hand-written lists, and even mementos of various people he had clearly planned to do something to or had some sort of vendetta against. It wasn't hard to figure out his plan. The H.O.P.E. center was his target. Or rather the people inside of it. There was photos of Molly, Katheryn, Amy, Josie, and Alex plastered on the wall next to a map of Dallas. A pin marked each of their homes and the center itself. An address for a local gang hideout was tucked beneath Amy's photo.

"Wow," Trent breathed. "He must have paid the gangs to burn Amy's home and promised them something in return."

Bobbie scoffed. "Little did they know he was going to pin the crime on them. He never figured they'd trace the crime back to him. But why? Why was he after Molly and the center?"

"My hunch would be because of William. Molly invested a lot of her time on him at the center. Michael Brent's twisted logic told him she was stealing the one thing he had left of value in this world."

Bobbie shook her head. "It's really sad. Poor kid."

"Yeah." Trent continued looking for signs to indicate where Michael could have taken Molly. He then noticed an address…a very familiar one lying near Molly's picture. It was the address for the water gardens. "He's headed to Fort Worth."

"Why way over there?!"

"I don't know. But let's go."

* * *

Molly's eyes were swollen and red. Her face was stained from the tears. Her body was weak almost to the point of fainting. She could feel her knees weakening as she took a step forward, all the activity of the hallway tuned out as she laid a hand across her mouth to stifle her sobs. Will was dead; she had lived. Broken and vulnerable, she turned as soon as a familiar face caught her attention from the corner of her eye.

Trent stood there at the end of the hall, his face pale as he saw her. He weaved his way through the nurses and patients as quickly as he could until Molly was in his arms. That was when she let all the emotion finally go. He simply held her, not caring why or what had caused those tears. He was simply glad he finally was with her.

"We got over to the gardens and was told you were taken to the hospital. I was so worried. Bobbie went back to Ranger headquarters to contact Sal and Amy."

"I lost him," Molly finally whispered, seeming to ignore what Trent said as she pulled away from him. "He died trying to save me."

"No," Trent cupped her face in his hands. "Don't blame yourself. He made his choice. I'm just glad you're okay."

But she wasn't okay. Molly slowly turned away from Trent to look at the cars passing outside. Inside she was numb, confused, and unsure why she was allowed to live. "It should have been me," she finally broke the silence.

"No," Trent stated firmly as he gripped her shoulder gently. "Don't you say that."

Molly faced Trent again, another tear streaking her face. "I have to leave."

"Okay," Trent nodded, but didn't realize what she was saying. "We can go anywhere you want. You need that time to heal. I understand fully."

"No." A sob caught in her throat. "You don't understand. I'm moving away from Dallas…on my own."

"What?!" Shocked swept over Trent as his eyes flashed open. "You can't leave. Not now." He wanted to take her in his arms, kiss her, remind her what she meant to him. But he held himself in check.

"Part of me doesn't want to leave," Molly admitted. "But it's something I have to do. I can't explain why. I just feel like a failure."

"Don't say that." Trent was beginning to feel like an echo. But it was true. "You're far from a failure in my eyes, Molly." He swallowed hard and took her by the shoulders. "I know it's hard when you lose somebody you've worked so hard to save. But you aren't God. Sometimes things happen."

"I know that," she tried reassuring him as she looked him in the eyes. "But something about this was different. I don't feel like the same woman anymore. I don't belong. I'm broken."

"That's all the more reason for you to stay," Trent fought to help her understand she was needed more than she realized. "I'm sure Alex will give you all the time off that you need."

"And I'm thankful for that. I really am." She paused, took Trent's hand in hers, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'll stay long enough to say goodbye to Carlos and Kath when they get back. Then I'll be heading to New York. I have an aunt there who has been begging me to visit. I think I'll take her up on that offer."

Trent was silent, but inside his heart and mind raged with emotion. He loved her so much. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But she was putting an end to all of that right then. Why? She had been through difficult times before. Why was this so different?

Instead of speaking, Trent drew her close and planted a kiss on her forehead. It was slow and intentional, leaving hundreds of memories in its ghostly path as he turned to walk away. He would wait until he was alone to truly let himself feel his heart break in two. But for now he'd have to do without those feelings. And the longer he delayed them, the better.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Yes, I know. You didn't see that one coming.**_ _ **After far too long working on one single story, I have finally brought this one to a close. And you guys don't know how much that ending made me want to cry. I wasn't expecting their journey to take that turn. But it felt right. For those of you rooting for the Trent/Molly saga, bear with me. There's still a long journey ahead. And for those wondering if I forgot about Bobbie and Sal, don't worry there either. There's more to come in the future. Stick with me! I have so much more to share with you all in my coming stories.**_


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